This evening I took Lily to the birthday party of a classmate. Not just any party, a skating party. She's been talking about this party for a couple weeks and had been eyeballing the skating rink for months (we pass it daily) so despite the fact there are about a million ways I'd rather spend a Saturday night, I knew it was the thing to do.

What a blast from my past! It's been more years than I can count since I've been in a roller-rink but, boy, did the scene look familiar! Different state, different decade, but the same scene...some of the same music, too! Skateland was the place to be when I was 10-12 years old and I very clearly remember the social drama going on at the rink each Saturday...Who would be there? Who would couple skate? Who would act too cool to skate and just loiter around the place? Who would wear the much cooler speed skates? (as opposed to the ol' brown boring skates...I always wore those) It's funny now to think how serious we were about those skating rink trips. It was so not about the skating.

Going back to a skating rink as a mom brings a new perspective. First of all, everything felt pretty gross. No offense to my local skate rink but with that many kids in a confined space, shoes off and on, throw in some food and drinks...gross. Two words: hand sanitizer. No wonder they keep the lights dim. I used to think it was for ambiance. And those super cool speed-skating 12 year olds buzzing by to impress their friends now posed a danger to my child who looked like Bambi on ice. Lily weighed at least 10 lbs more with skates on which made it difficult to scoop her up each of the two dozen times she fell. I didn't skate but was exhausted by the time we left. Her skating made minimal improvement in our nearly 2 hour visit, but I commend her perseverance. My Saturday night at the skating rink...I didn't know a soul in the place (not even the party host), I couldn't have cared less who was couple skating or speed skating, and the only hand I was holding was my kindergartner's. Funny how things change.

I came away with this very important realization: I have got to teach my children to skate. We live close to the rink and from the looks of things tonight, it is still quite the hangout. If the skating rink is going to be a part of their social development, I want them wearing the cool speed skates. We've got our work cut out for us.