Around 1992, the boys received their first pair of in-line skates.

They were so excited and took to them like water off a duck’s 🦆 back.

Immediately, they strapped them on and started rolling down the sidewalk as we stood there as a couple with our jaws dropped.

How could they possibly know how to do this balancing act right away? I envisioned trying to do it myself, and all I saw was an injury waiting to happen.

We had them padded up from head to toe, which were quickly abandoned save their helmets. That one was a hard yes. Yes you will wear a helmet while skating, period!

Maybe skating on roller skates had prepared them for these wonders of engineering, or maybe they had secretly been using them at a friend’s house unbeknownst to us. I don’t know, but I was filled with joy and wonder as I watched them skate towards more freedom.

My boys were growing up, a fact that saddened me as much as made me proud. Anyone that can master this skill has a future in my book.