Please Allow Me to Judge Me on Your Behalf

The last time I posted about Pumpkin's ski lessons, I discussed how Pumpkin suddenly 'got it', and was skiing like a pro. Well, not quite like a pro, but doing it willingly, and somewhat properly. Well, things haven't exactly progressed the way that I would have liked.

Pumpkin does not look forward to ski day. I never let her back out of it, but she does often complain about various physical ailments every Saturday morning when she wakes me up with her infamous line, "What my doing today?!!" Yesterday's complaint involved a frog in her tummy. And so the bribery began.

Yesterday, I promised lunch at McDonalds just for going, plus a few chocolate eggs if she managed at least six runs. In addition, it has always been a given that I would buy her jelly beans from the vending machine at the ski lodge at the end of every lesson.

Pumpkin held up to her end of the bargain, so I grabbed her the jelly beans for her to munch in the change room, which is complete chaos if you want to imagine a small room filled with about 20 young kids plus their parents, all trying to undress and dress again in winter gear. Many of the kids were crying by this point, while their parents endured the stress of getting everything organized and packed up.

Other kids saw me pumping my kid full of junk while discussing McDonald's with her, and started to nag their own parents. One father went as far as to mention to me how healthily his family eats, and how his kids don't ever get McDonald's. One mother found herself helplessly giving in to her daughter's candy demands in the face of Pumpkin's good sugar fortune. I overheard some other parent say something like, "NO! We're going home for lunch!" There was even a note on Pumpkin's progress card from last week's substitute instructor saying, 'NO TREATS!' What's wrong with a tiny piece of chocolate at the end of a good run?

Sorry to the other parents, but my crappy parenting skills are what we need to get through this seven week session. Look for me on the hill though if you need me to hook you up with something sweet.

How's This for a Complete 180?

Do you remember last week when I posted about Pumpkin's ski lesson that was a tad disappointing in terms of either of us enjoying it? Well, I was determined to keep at it, as a life without family ski trips is a life not worth living, and I hafta say, I'm pretty glad that I'm such a cruel mother.

The whole week, I could tell that Pumpkin was dreading her lesson, and she was clearly feigning enthusiasm for my sake whenever I brought up the subject. When Saturday rolled around however, she couldn't do it anymore. The whining started, as did the bribery. Before we were out the door, I was already out about $40 worth of promises based on her not crying throughout the whole lesson. It didn't look like I was going to have to pay up based on how things began. Then something odd happened.

One of Pumpkin's peers decided to get a practice run in, and Pumpkin decided that she wanted to do the same. As we started hiking up the astro turf runway, Pumpkin's whining escalated to levels comparable to the previous week. When she reached the top, she obligingly pointed her skis downhill, and had a 20' run. She didn't cry. She didn't frown. She actually laughed excitedly and asked to do it again.

I dunno what happened, but I wasn't going to question it. When the instructor started the lesson, Pumpkin only had sparkly smiles for him, which left him totally perplexed based on the guilt he felt from her petrified misery from only one week ago. Then she asked to go on the chair lift to the bigger hill!!!

Can I tell you how surreal it is to be on a ski lift with my own four year old, who is still pretty much a baby in my mind? This was actually the part that I was fearful of. Without the high-tech lifts that I'm used to, I wasn't sure that I'd be able to help her on and off the chair without landing us in a tangled heap, while lifties shout at me for being such a moron. I managed ok though.

As for the actual descent, it was amazing! I had Pumpkin on a harness, but gave her slack such that she could get a little speed and momentum for turning. She seemed to actually be getting the hang of it! Even when she fell, she didn't get upset. She just laughed at me while I tried to get her back up without taking a tumble myself.

I'm so excited about my Saturdays now!