before Frozen was a thing.. we learnt to Let It Go!

I decided to take India ice-skating in the school holidays at the end of last year. She had tried really hard to sleep in her own bed every night, as well as mustered as much most courage she could every school drop off and held her tears well. I wanted to take her out for a special day. I was proud of her progress and wanted her to feel special. We went to the ice arena in the morning and then out for McDonalds as a treat afterwards.

We were both nervous about the skating. It had been years since my last trip to the rink and lets just say my body was a little more agile back in those days. It was India's first time. To my sheer relief they had walking frames equipped for the ice to use as a guiding frame.This God send enabled me to help India feel steady  and allowed me to secretly rely on it for the first few laps until i got the feel for skating once more. I used to skate often when i was in my youth and have many fond memories of the Adelaide Ice Arena. However, i was most keen to see my little girl in action!

India was unsure at first. she approached the ice trembling, and not from the cold. She repeatedly told me she was scared and needed to be reassured that i would not let her go until she felt confident. She was slow to get the hang of it but by the end of our skate session she was clumsily able to do a lap by herself without the frame. This made her feel proud and happy. It was a rewarding morning as i carefully and consciously watched her try and fail and try again. It was encouraging to see her refuse to quit. India really wanted to learn how to skate, and even when she felt downtrodden, she picked herself up and kept on trying. She was a joy to watch and had me laughing when she decided to dance to the sweet sweet jams playing over the sound system. Its important for me to take the time to just watch India. She can teach me so much when i let her and i often feel as though i miss the lessons i'm meant to be learning when i try to control too much. We promised each other to come back again soon. I will keep this promise,not only of the refresher course on how to brave, but to simply laugh... out loud... as a little child.