Skier Dad Ruins Child's First Day Skiing

I felt terrible for the crying four-year old boy. Big tears rolled down his cold, red cheeks in stunned disbelief, wondering what he'd done to his Dad to deserve this punishment. “I thought we were going skiing,” he would've said if he were able to speak what his heart was feeling. 

“We are but you're taking lessons here with these people first,” said Dad, trying to do the classic daycare dropoff and be on his way. But all the crying boy felt was Dad didn't want to be with him today. 

As I sat inside the gondola across from my son remembering his first day on skis nearly 20 years ago and all of the great times we've had skiing together, I felt even worse – not for the crying boy – but for his Dad. I wanted to explain to him what he'd be missing: carrying two pairs of skis, buckling his little boots – and never getting it just right, stopping for the bathroom after one run, stopping to eat right after breakfast, stopping to adjust the goggles, stopping to find a ski pole he'd dropped from the lift, pulling him like a pack horse on the flats, stopping for a snowball fight, and certainly much more stopping than actual skiing.

Dealing with these struggles is just paying your dues. It's how you earn the magical moments of joy that stay embedded in your soul as the years pass. I'll never forget the first time my son decided to leave the safety of skiing between my skis to ski on his own. Young skiers enjoy one milestone after another as they improve and being there to share them as they happen is the ultimate reward. The first blue trail. The first black trail. The trees. The first spectacular wipeout. Ditching us to ski with friends. And then one day he's waiting for you at the bottom wondering what's taking you so long. 

I know the crying boy's Dad was probably looking forward to a killer day on the slopes after working long, hard hours and playing around with his son on the bunny hill all day wasn't his idea of a killer day on the slopes. But it probably was the crying boy's idea of a killer day on the slopes. Jeez, Dad, it wasn't even a real powder day.  

Skiing with the kids gets even more fun when they can carry their own gear and zip up their own jackets. 

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