Ski Bunny

There are lots and lots of things that make being a parent worthwhile, heartwarming, enriching, inspiring, etc. There are also things that are just plain fun when you're a parent. I've found that it's often things that were pretty fun before you had kids but then once you have them, and you see and experience it through their eyes, the super fun-o-meter just blows up (I also felt this way when I became an aunt, too. I love kids' perspectives...). We had one of those times today -- we took Molly skiing to celebrate her birthday and because we're going to Whistler next week and, let's face it, I wasn't going to lug gear if she wasn't going to be into the whole shebang. Truthfully, I really, really wanted her to have fun and enjoy skiing. I won't lie. I would have been sad had she run screaming from the hill (like she literally ran screaming from the lady in the ski store when she tried to have Molly try on ski boots) or pooped out after two runs. I would have understood, of course; you can't force enjoyment of new activities and you simply have to try again next month, next season, next lifetime. It's one of the cardinal rules of parenthood, I think, to follow your mini person's lead and not impose your standards or ideas of what she should be or what he should like. The parenting handbook also explicitly forbids throwing hissy fits no matter how much you want them to do or like something or other... that's hard for me sometimes. At the same time, we all have images in our heads, I think, of what constitutes family fun and skiing together, for me, is one of them. Thankfully, she loved it. She was hilarious out there and honestly, it made the run I took with her down the bunny slope one of the best  runs of my life (John did the majority of the skiing 101 introduction today). I loved experiencing some of her excitement and it was neat to see her pride at mastering some aspects of skiing a bit and by the end, she was able to do some of the run by herself. I skied with a friend after that and it was good but really, nothing like the fun I had in the two minutes it took to get down the beginner trail. Sometimes we get lucky, as parents, that it all works out the way we hope it might. I don't know if those opportunities are the minority or majority but whenever they happen, I'm happy to sit up, take notice, and relish them. 

I'm ready. Who's coming with me?

This guy? Okay! Still ready!

No, we didn't ski with Jack, although...

There's always the post-skiing relax in the lodge that makes the day worth it, too.