1 Mother 2 Another

Maddie has been asking for a while to take
ice-skating lessons; she loves going for a free-skate with the
family, and did a mini-camp last year for a few days, learning how
to fall safely, basically. We’ve had less success with
roller-skating, though, so when she asked me if she could have a
pair of roller skates for cruising around the neighborhood I had to
think about it.


First, of course, we had to find a way to get the skates. Maddie
and I talked about different things we could work on in her life to
earn a pair of skates, and we settled on her relationship with her
sister. Since February, Maddie’s been working hard on showing
honor to her sister, putting her first, deferring to her when
there’s a choice to be made. I’m not saying it’s
perfect but she’s shown a lot of improvement just in how well
she listens to her little sister.

A couple of weeks ago at a consignment
sale I found a pair of roller blades in her size and snatched them
up. Then last week we talked about the difference between skates
and blades, and she was eager to give them a try. So last Friday I
surprised Maddie with them, and it was love at first roll.


Maddie balances really well on them, and it’s the first
sport-like thing that she’s taken to right away. She still
won’t ride a bike, fearing falling off one, and though she
enjoys scootering she’ll tire of it after a bit and not want
to ride any more. But with blading, she could go for hours.


She’s having so much fun that Cora’s now chartreuse
with envy, and has asked me what she can work on to earn her own
pair of blades. I’m so glad she asked – I found a pair
for her at the consignment sale, too, and have them safely stashed
away! Cora is now working on listening to grown-ups and responding
more quickly, as well as emptying the dishwasher.


I tell ya, I should find stuff for them to “earn” more
often.