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20/08/20

Teaching Levi how to skate

I am a professional coach.  My job is to teach, encourage, push, and challenge athletes to do better and be better. Many times I have to be “the bad guy” to get the results my clients are looking to achieve. This, however, is not the method I use for parenting my kids. My role in my daughter and son's athletic life is to support, encourage, and empower them.  To instill in them a mantra that they can do anything, as long as they work hard enough and believe in themselves. I am not their coach. That will be someone else's job!

Teaching my three year old daughter how to inline skate was easy. I just wore my own skates in front of her! She always saw how happy I was and how much fun I was having.  Then finally she said, “I want to do that!” Levi got a new pair of Rollerblade® Microblade Free 3WD for Christmas and the entire family took turns holding her hands while she cruised through the house. Children first need to learn that sports and fitness are fun!

For a couple months Levi wore her skates in the house; getting comfortable holding onto counters, walking on the carpet, and learning how to get back up when she fell down. Every time she did something in them I cheered, even if it was letting go of the counter for three seconds! I let her know it's okay to fall, how to take a deep breath when she is scared, and when she decides she is done, I always help her take her skates off. I never push her.  She sees how often mommy skates, which makes her want to skate even more!

The day we finally went outside to wear her skates on the sidewalk it was beautiful and sunny out.  We picked out a rainbow outfit “to make her go fast.” She had a blast! I taught her how to walk in the grass when she got scared.  She learned how to turn around to look at all the beautiful flowers.  She even had a great attitude when she fell for the first time

I cannot wait to see what type of people and athletes my two babies will end up being.  I already know that if they find something that brings them happiness they will learn to work hard at it. The more opportunities I give them, like inline skating at 3 years old, the less fear they will have to try new things in the future!

Written by: Kacie Cleveland
Mom of 3 year old girl & 2 year old boy
Rollerblade® athlete
Kulshan CrossFit Owner and head coach

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