Skate party

The skate parties have begun. Av's school had one last night. All week Av talked about it and said she wanted to go. J and I just looked at each other knowing she prob is just not old enough. I didn't want to go. I told her if she asked her friends at school if they were going and if they were she had to come home and tell me who. If her friends were going I promised to take her. I figured she would never remember to ask her friends and actually know who was going. She went to summer camp for 2 weeks this summer and everyday I asked her to name one kids name in her group and she NEVER could do it. Even with me reminding her everyday to figure out someone's name. So I thought it was a long shot. J knew otherwise. Her very first words off the bus were "Mckinnely is going." No lead up to let me know what she was talking about. She knew I would know. So as promised I had to take her. A friend warned me to be prepared to be sore the next day. I thought no way. I was not putting skates on bc I knew I would be holding her up and one of us had to be steady and I have done so much working out lately I thought that was crazy. But she was right. Oh my on your lower back, holding up a 40lb ready to fall person. Anyway so off Av and I went when J got home. She was super excited. We got there and I think thats when she realized what she had gotten herself into. We got her skates on and she stood up the tears started right away. "I'm tired. I want to go home." Ugh I had not really prepared for this. What was I going to do? I wanted it to end on a good note so someday she would want to go again, but I didn't want to push her too hard either. So we sat there for awhile. I thought maybe if she got comfortable. Nope. She had several friends come up to her and offer to help and talk to her and she talked to them but none of them could talk her into it. (she is very well liked and that makes me soooooo happy) Finally I was sick of sitting there and I finally had a good idea. (this parenting stuff is hard. have to think on your feet and I was a little slow last night). We made a deal. If she would skate once around the circle with me holding her and then if she still wanted to leave we would. So that's what we did. She made it and I made it too. I could not have done much more. Holding her up was sooooo hard. So it did end on a positive note.

Leaving there I had so many emotions going on in my head. Proud of her for trying, proud of her for wanting to go so badly, sad for her that her body limitations hold her back so badly, sad that she doesn't have the energy her friends do, worried if she misses stuff like this will she be able to make real friends, worried she will not be able to handle sleep overs and such with her low energy, proud of myself getting her to try it, proud that I didn't let her see how sad I was that she couldn't do it, worried she will just never have a "normal" life, but most off all this huge amount of love for my sweet little girl who is loved by so many people. At one point a little girl I didn't know came up to help her. Come to find out it is Lilly from her bus. So sweet. She was right too, McKinnley was there. When we got home she showered and then wanted us to read her a book. Fine we always do that but what was different was that she read 50% of the book!!!!! It's a new book too, not one she has memorized. She is learning and she is doing so well. That's the most important thing.