I made my kids take ski lessons today and was the meanest mommy on the planet!  

They have indoor ski places in Holland that I thought sounded like such a good idea. When we were talking about what to do for Christmas Break, I asked the kids if they wanted to go skiing because there are fabulous places to ski in Europe like Austria and France and I thought we should go there. But everyone voted no on that idea. None of us like to be cold,  and the thought of skiing didn’t sound attractive. Now, I was afraid that I might be rubbing off on them and that because I don’t like to be cold, they were just saying that.  We hardly ever choose to go to the snow in California when we have vacation time because yours truly really hates to be cold, and why suffer with three kids and a long drive in traffic to Tahoe if everyone is going to be miserable? At least, that’s the vision that floats in my head, and you know I could very well be wrong.

So now we’re in Holland and I learned of this place where I could bring the kids and the weather was controlled and the conditions would be just right, so why not try it?? I was pumped for them, to give them this opportunity to learn something new and just for a day and without a long journey and with their friends, even. Guess what I got? Guff. I got guff from 2 out of 3 of them. And not just a little guff. There were tears involved and they were rude and angry and demanded their rights to not go and I couldn’t make them and blah, blah, blah.

We went anyway. I thought they’d change their mind when we got there. But no… more words and frustrated feelings. And they were mad at me and I was disappointed in them, but I pushed on anyway and paid for the lesson and tickets and equipment and said goodbye, enjoy, have fun!!  And told them how our family values adventure and trying new things and that they have to at least try it. And I wagered the bet that they might actually like it once they tried it and I was really hoping they would, so I would feel better about pushing them out of their comfort zone. I don’t like to make them do what they don’t want to do. I’m not one of those moms that feels like I know best and that they should do exactly what I say or want. I usually tend to listen to them as little people, unless there is danger or they are being rude. But today I felt like I had to push their boundaries a bit and I had to step out of my comfort zone. And boy, was I uncomfortable with all their unhappiness and the scene they were making. But in the end, all was good.

They put on their boots, gathered their lift tickets and gear and hit the slopes with Braum, their ski instructor, while I watched from behind the glass with a capuccino. I cheered them on by waving my arms in the air and was so happy for them when they decided to leave the bunny slope and take the lift up to higher ground. They all loved it and didn’t want to leave. They stayed way past the time we had planned and I felt content, for them and for me. Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do and good will come from it. I hope they learned something today. I know I did.

Indoor skiing in Holland

unhappy skier waiting for the dread to begin…

Happy after 30 minutes of lessons! Phew!!

Happy, little skier!

The non-complainer who actually tried both boarding and skiing with a smile on his face all day.