If At First You Don't Succeed...

...and your mom makes you try, try again...you might have a good time.

Maybe...

But meanwhile, your mom will be incredibly stressed out, wondering if this is the worst vacation plan ever.

To the top of the story...

For Spring Break, Mark and I decided to try taking the kids skiing.  We thought Brianna, being the natural athlete, would take to it quickly and absolutely love it.  We were a bit concerned that Matt, with a tendancy to quit when the going got tough, might not enjoy it, and would throw in the skis, so to speak.  So we prepped him, saying everyone falls when they're learning, etc., and that you just have to laugh at your mistakes and try again.  And I told him about the first times I went skiing, back in high school.  And about how I didn't really know how to stop, except by falling.  And about the time when I went down the mountain (hill really, after all it was northern Ohio) and couldn't stop, and took out the skiers waiting in the lift line (including my school ski club sponsor, Mr. Aufdemberge), and finally stopped about a foot from the half frozen river at the bottom of the hill.  And I got up and skied again.  But apparently I didn't tell Brianna.

So, we told the kids we were going skiing, and Brianna shrieked in delight.  I mean blood-curdling scream of joy.  While I was driving.  Fortunately I kept the car on the road.  They were both thrilled and excited, though Matt really wanted to snowboard instead.  But we talked him into skiing, partly because Brianna didn't want to go to a lesson without him.

So snow day arrives.  (By the way, we had beautiful, spectacular snow weather the couple days before the trip, and the snow in the mountains was fantastic, for Arizona spring skiing).  And to make a long story a little less long, we get the kids signed up for ski school, get them to their class, and then Mark and I head up the slopes.  Where I find that I'm not really at all comfortable going fast.  Not that I ever really liked speed, but now I just want to leisurely go down the mountain.  Which we do, and it's fun, and I start to get my ski legs back, and then we wait for the kids to get out of their lesson.

When we ask them how it went, they both say great, I love skiing, etc.  Still wanting to see how they are doing, I go up the "pony slope" (they called it a bunny slope when I was a beginner), and I head down the mountain with Brianna.  Only she's a bit out of control, and falls as she tries to make her first turn.  She tells me she doesn't like it, and wants to quit.  I talk her into another run, and her second fall is worse than the first.  And, "I hate skiing, and I'm never going to do this again."  She takes her equipment off, and heads off.  Mark goes with her while I take Matt, who's doing quite well for a beginner, up the mountain to some green slopes. 

Matt does well for a beginner (way better than me my first several times), but of course falls several times on the way down the mountain.  But he perseveres and does a few more runs.  Meanwhile, Mark has gotten Brianna back on the pony hill to try a few more times.  She's slightly better with him ("Dad's way better helping me than you, mom"), but still falling a bunch.

This, by the way, is the girl who decided to potty train one day, and was done. (I know, TMI).  She decided one day to ride a two-wheeler, and did.  She decided one day that she would overhand serve in Volleyball, and she served 5 aces at her first game.  From her first talking days, it was "I do myself."

Now we've finished the first of our two days of skiing, Matt wants to snowboard tomorrow (we agree to let him try it), and Brianna is saying she hates skiing.  Mark talks her into taking another lesson on the second day.  But when it's time to get up in the morning, I can't even really get her out of bed.  Finally succeeding at that, I get her into the car to head to the mountain, but she covers her head with her blanket and "sleeps."  When we arrive at the slopes, somehow we get her out of the car and up to the desk to register for ski school (reminding her that she told Mark yesterday that she would.) But she keeps saying, i don't want to go to ski school.  I don't want to go on the mountain.  I just want to stay on the pony hill.  You can't make me go.  We sign her up anyway.

As Matt heads off to his snowboard lesson, Brianna keeps telling me "you can't make me go.  I hate skiing.  I'm never skiing again, etc." And, "You're pretty much forcing me to do this you know." (and I'm thinking we could be charged with child abuse or child endangerment)  We (Mark) manage to get her in the class with 13 and up (that's the class she was in the day before with Matt), because she doesn't want to go in the "Kiddie Corral". and we're pretty sure that if forced she will never speak to us again.  Fortunately the person in charge bends the rules, and the instructor Dave (a WONDERFUL, seasoned instructor...probably in his late 60s or even 70s) takes her into his group. 

Mark and I leave and head off for an hour and a half skiing on the other side of the mountain.  Before we go, Mark grabs my hand and we pray for her instructor and her attitude.  We have a couple of fantastic runs, (on the green slopes) and then head back to the kids.  They're still finishing up their lessons when we return, but we spy Brianna at the top of the hill with instructor Dave.  Then she makes a run down the hill.  And does a couple wonderful turns.  And gets to the bottom of the hill with a huge smile on her face.  And when she meets up with us she wants to take a break for lunch, take a couple more runs at the bunny hill, and then "go down the mountain."

And we do.  And she does.  And she falls, and gets up, and smiles, and does it all again, and again, and before I know it she's asking if we can stay another day, and when we come skiing next time...

And I thank God for instructor Dave, who worked with her in a way she would accept.  And helped her get some confidence.  And helped her get down that hill.  And Mark saw him a little later, and thanked him for taking Brianna in his class and saving our vacation.

 

(sorry, can't get the pictures to turn...)