When my husband and I decided to have children, we took the mentality of a basketball superstar entering college: one and done. We both had successful careers, and at the time, we really didn’t want the extra costs or commitment required to rear multiple children. During my second ultrasound, however, we found that I was due to have twins, and our plans quickly changed.
Now that the boys are four years old and we’ve had time to adjust to the lifestyle, I wouldn’t change it for anything—although I’ll admit I was terrified at first. Over the years, we’ve learned how to manage two children, and it’s actually been nice for them to have a permanent playmate. Unfortunately, they grow in unison, so there is no opportunity for hand-me-downs. I take every opportunity I can to stretch the life of their things—from buying clothes a little big to getting adjustable roller skates so it’s impossible for them to outgrow them.
During my youth I always heard adults gripe about the unfairness of childhood; how it’s wasted on the youth, who don’t really appreciate it. I always thought I was different. I told myself I valued my freedom and recognized its fleeting nature, but it wasn’t until it was gone that I truly discovered its worth. Now I would give anything to be free from my social and economic responsibilities.
These feelings manifest themselves most fully during the summertime, when teenagers go to bed at dawn, wakeup after noon and spend the entire day at their leisure; and if they do have jobs, they typically are working outside in the sunshine. Although I am just a few years removed from that age of innocence, I already pine for rolling down the streets late at night with my lighted roller skate wheel shining, hanging out with my friends for hours on end and not caring what tomorrow brought.
Most kids are mortified by the prospect of their parents being a source of embarrassment, and my kids are no different. Typically, however, the parents’ humiliation of the children is unbeknownst to them. As a relatively young parent, I feel acutely attuned to the feelings and emotions of my adolescent children, and I know how to be the “cool” dad and how to turn their faces red.
Sometimes I’ll blare oldies music when my kids’ friends are in the car, wear flamboyant Hawaiian t-shirts or make inane jokes. Just the other day I chaperoned my daughter and some of her friends to the local skate rink on a Friday night. Although I have a pair of rollerblades, I decided to play the embarrassing dad card and donned my antique quad roller skate from the 80s, much to my daughter’s chagrin.
As we get older, we tend to think of all of the physical activities we do in terms of exercise and the amount of calories burned. For children however, many of the same activities that adults deem exercise are simply viewed as fun and games. In my opinion, a simple rebranding could marginalize the stigma attached to physical activity.
For example, kids roller skate or bike because it is enjoyable, while adults tend to see a Sunday bike ride as a workout. Try replacing one or two activities a week, such as going to a movie, with some sort of physical activity. Don’t look at it as exercise however, but rather try to view it as any other form of entertainment and amusement.
When I was growing up, I was what most people would consider an athletically-minded person. Not only did I play the classic American organized sports like baseball, football and basketball, but I also went to roller hockey and lacrosse camps. Needless to say, I was overly confident in my athletic abilities.
For my younger brother’s birthday one year, my parents took our family to the local roller skating rink. I forgot the inline skates that I used for roller hockey and was forced to rent an old-fashioned quad roller skate model. At first I didn’t think that the new design would impede on my skills, but I soon discovered how difficult it was to use them. I was thoroughly embarrassed when my mom was skating circles around me and I was left holding onto the railing.