This year, we hemmed and hawed about what sort of ski program(s) to sign the kids up for. Nordic skiing was a no brainer, the Mansfield Nordic Club uses a facility just miles from our house. John and I were never nordic skiers, but we saw this as a great way to be outside in the winter and get the kids doing a sport that challenged them. Hazey was still a year too young to do the program both days of the week, but Cally was looking forward to having something she did, without her little brother tagging along. This, of course, meant that we had to get nordic gear-- both skate and classic skis and poles. I scrambled to find these at a ski sale, but was clueless about sizing. But, we figured it out and the kids have been loving it. They even insisted on doing a race. They had both learned the skate technique a week prior to the skate race, but they were excited to do it.
Hazen did great on the 1 km race. He didn't get last place and he had a ball.
Last year, Cal took lessons with one of John's students. At the end of the season, she said she wanted to learn to ski like the kids in the Smugglers Notch Ski Club. We had heard mixed reviews about the club, but it did seem like a great way for the kids to learn to ski (without being told to lean forward and "poke the polar bear" by their parents). It felt like a big commitment, but the kids assured us they would love it.
The first few weeks were slow and cold. The coaches were giving a lot of instruction and the kids were standing around a lot and it was really cold. But, the stuck it out and liked it. Neither kid signed up with a friend, but they quickly made some friends. Their lessons began at 9 and went to 3. It wasn't easy to rally on Saturday mornings, but John and I did everything we could to make it really easy for them (including breakfast sandwiches on the road).
When the kids asked to do the nordic race on Saturday am, I reminded them that they'd still have to go to Ski club in the afternoon. After the race, Cally complained a ton. She didn't want to go to club. I reminded her of her commitment and she begged not to go. John and I carried on and had the kids go at noon. We sent them on their way and I spent the rest of the afternoon worrying about pushing my kids too much and being a bad parent.
When we went to pick them up at 3pm, they told us they didn't want to leave because they were having too much fun with their friends.
That night, Hazen insisted we watch the movie "Born in China". Both kids were exhausted. Cally claimed she hated movies like that and wouldn't watch it. But, it was Hazen's night to pick a movie. We watched the movie as a family and loved it. The next day, Cally ran into my friend and said, "You know, there were two things I totally didn't want to do this weekend, but my mom made me do them both and I loved them". She was referring to going to ski lesson and watching the movie Hazen had chosen.
It's hard to be a parent. It's tricky to know when to push and when to lay off the pressure. This weekend, it all worked out. We had tired kids who were challenged in a good way.
