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.
One of my family’s favorite weekend activities is going on a long trek down the Marymoor Trail in Redmond, which winds along the Eastside and will lead you all of the way to Seattle. We typically ride our bikes, but every once in a while we change things up and decide to wear roller skates. The only drawback to this, however, is that we are unable to enter any of the restaurants or attractions along the way due to our skates.
I was recently able to solve this conundrum thanks to some skate buds I found online. These amazing roller skates fit on over your shoes, allowing you to wear your regular sneakers and skate at the same time. Now when we went want to enter a business, we can simply unstrap the skates and walk right in.
Buying clothing and shoes for children can be a challenging task. Not only are kids notoriously fussy when it comes to the things they wear, but since they are still growing, chances are that the item won’t fit in a few months time anyways. This phenomenon is particularly frustrating when it comes to pricey items like dress clothes and shoes.
Wouldn’t it be nice if clothing and shoes were adjustable, so that they grew with your children? In many industries, this is simply a fantasy, but when it comes to kids skate shoes, this is the reality. Skater Buds are fully adjustable, meaning that as your children’s feet grow, you can augment the shoes to achieve a custom fit.
Getting your kids off of the couch can be a challenge for any parent in this day and age. From DVR to video games, there always is some stimulating form of entertainment at a kid’s fingertips. One of the secrets to getting your kids motivated to play outside and stay active is by cultivating an athletic mindset at an early age.
The best way to do this is by making active play fun and treating it as a reward instead of a punishment. Many parents take away video games and other electronics to curb bad behavior, but this only makes your child want those things that much more. I make a point of buying my kids entertaining and engaging toys, like Street Glider skate shoes and sports equipment, which encourages them to get outside.
My best friend in high school was always looking for ways to set himself apart from the crowd. It started by reforming his image; adding multiple piercings and being the first kid in school to get a tattoo. He was always looking for ways to stand out socially as well, erupting in class and constantly performing over-the-top antics.
One of his more subdued attempts to garner attention came in the form of his footwear. I was alarmed when he came to school one day wearing big, bulky black shoes; a total departure from his usual style. As we were walking down the hall, he suddenly started to glide away from me and I realized that he was wearing a kid skate shoe.
It practically goes without saying that advanced technology has made our lives better in an infinite number of ways. The Internet allows us to look up just about any piece of relevant information in a matter of seconds, and cable channels are specialized to our exact tastes and preferences. But sometimes an overabundance of convenience can translate to other problems.
Many of today’s children are overweight or even obese, and lack of physical activity is the primary cause. With that in mind, any means to facilitate some exercise would be a significant help. Kids skate shoes are flashy and aesthetically pleasing, but they also serve a truly altruistic purpose: saving our children from the burden of serious health problems in the future.
It’s in most children’s nature to follow trends. Before we figure out what we want to be, we imitate the actions of others. This doesn’t entirely explain the popularity of extreme sports – they do provide an exhilarating thrill, after all – but it comes close. There will always be a huge mass of followers, but only a select few kids actually set the trends and lead the pack.
Skate shoes are a cutting-edge alternative to skateboards and traditional roller blades. When not in use, they take up much less room in a kid’s backpack and they light up for nighttime demonstrations. It’s no surprise that skate shoes have begun to catch on at middle schools across the country. After all, the cool kids have given these extreme skates their stamp of approval.