Skate Time in Monroe (updated)

I finally gave in.

M had been asking to learn how to rollerskate for the past several weeks and after a many “We’ll see, sweetie,” I finally decided to just do it.  Mind you, the only shoes I remember wearing as a little girl were my rollerskates – it was bare feet or rollerskates, period, end of discussion.  So to be honest, I was secretly excited when she announced she “wanted purple rollerskates, like the girl in the book, Mommy! I want to do THAT!”  But it was the parent in me that had a few reservations about teaching my drama-queen, almost-preschooler how to stay upright while her feet were spinning, literally!  Just didn’t sound like a whole lotta fun…for anybody!

But I gave in.  And we went.  We went to Skate Time in Monroe during their ‘Public Skate Session.’  As soon as we walked through the door I thought to myself, “Oh no, what was I thinking??”  The music was blaring and the disco lights were in full effect (this was the middle of the day, by the way).  Being me, I couldn’t chicken-out, so I paid for our skate rentals and put on my ‘Super Mommy’ cape (imaginary, of course) along with my nervous ‘everything is peachy’ smile.  As expected, M was completely intimidated by the scene and went from “I can’t wait to rollerskate, Mommy,” to “No way, no how, are you going to get me out there!”  So we waited.  And we watched.  Thankfully there were lots of kids and mommies and even a few daddies on the rink to inspire her (us).  And after about 20 minutes, my brave M was strapping on her skates and we were on the rink.  While we weren’t the most graceful, that wasn’t the point.  What I soon realized is that it’s easy to tell our kids “Go ahead, try it…” as we comfortably sit from the sidelines and watch our kids fumble and stumble when they try something for the first time.  However, it’s quite a bit more difficult to muster up some bravery as an adult, put on that ‘Super Mommy’ cape and reveal to your kiddo that you’re kind of nervous, too.  I almost chickened-out at the door and I almost chickened-out after feeling my knees shake upon realizing rollerskating is NOT like riding a bike!  I was essentially learning to skate again WHILE also attempting to teach M to skate, too.   But we did it.  We rollerskated.  We went slow.  We held on to the wall when we needed to.  We held on to eachother when we needed to.  We giggled.  We reassured eachother with high fives.  And you know what, we had a great time, despite the annoying music and dim lights.  (BTW, I asked about their ‘Family Skate Sessions’ and the only thing that’s different is the music is more “kid-friendly,” whatever that means.)

At the end of the day, rollerskating together was less about the activity and more about the experience we had as people who like adventure.  As a parent, I walked away feeling proud of M but proud of myself, too.  What parent isn’t beaming after their child looks up and says, “Mommy, I am really proud for trying skating!”  There was something significant about us overcoming that initial nervous, shaky-knee feeling together.  This is so cliche, but it was a bonding moment. In the name of adventure, it was definitely worth a visit to Skate Time.  M is already asking when we can go again!

the essentials:

Monroe, 193 Main Street (Route 25), #203-459-8900

Public & Family Skate, weekends only – follow this link to their current schedule

Note: Outside food is not allowed but there is a concession on premises.  Also, it’s worth mentioning that this rink is right next door to an indoor shooting range.  Felt a little weird about that, to be honest.  Maybe rollerskating is best left for learning outside in the summer!