My Kid Wants to Skate?!?

The other day, we were visiting friends, and my son decided that he wanted to go in-line skating. (Well, what he really said was RollerBlading, which is a trademark name used in place of the generic term.) Anyway, it was news to me because I had no idea that he knew how to in-line skate. He doesn't have the skates; he used those of a friend. He put his helmet on and off he went. I was very impressed, not to mention wishing he would be so fearless on ice skates so I can get him into hockey (that, however, is another story).

Now he is begging for skates of his own. I worry about him skating, to be honest. Where we live is full of hills; our driveway is a slope, in fact, leading directly onto the road, since there is no sidewalk. Drivers are maniacs (to put it kindly). I am very concerned about him falling or getting hit by a car. My son laughs at me. These were my same concerns when he was learning to ride his bike.

Don't tell him, but we are probably going to give him a pair of in-line skates for his birthday. I've been shopping around and discovered that the price - once very prohibitive especially for rapidly growing feet - is reasonable. Like any athletic equipment, I won't buy him the cheapest on the shelf, but will get him a medium brand until he decides on whether or not this is an activity he wants to pursue. I may consider a sports consignment shop, where you can often get good brands that have been used little at very good prices.

In Pennsylvania, it is a state law that all kids under 12 wear a helmet and protective padding while skating (or doing anything on wheels). We'll buy the knee pads, but also wrist braces. Most folks go for the elbow pads first, but the real need is to stabilize the wrist, since we automatically put down our hands to break our fall. Most kids don't wear wrist braces. Most kids should.

The real trick will be finding him a safe place to skate. Many communities are beginning to fulfill the demand for skate parks, and that, from what I've read, is the ideal place for skating. Street hockey is an up-and-coming sport, too. If I can't get my boy on the ice, this may be the next best thing.

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