Ever since I was pregnant with The Boy, I always knew subconsciously that I was going to have to show a very positive outlook towards exercise and outdoor activities, especially as I am not the fittest parent around. I spent much of my childhood playing outdoors in the garden, and whilst I attempted a few sports clubs and activities, it wasn't an area that came naturally to me and as a result I wasn't encouraged actively to pursue it.
Maybe that's why I am so keen to ensure that The Boy is active on weekends with plenty of opportunities to exercise those muscles.
The Boy fell in love with his microscooter from the first moment he saw it. He had a balance bike at the same time, but it was the scooter that really captured his imagination, and it has a constant place in the boot of our car so that we're ever ready for him to take it with us on days out.
One of our favourite places to walk (and scoot) is Cardiff Bay Barrage. With a long, fairly straight road (with no vehicular access) and a flat surface, it is an ideal place for children to learn to ride and bike, or to scoot along relatively freely. Even my husband cycles across it twice a day because of the perfect riding conditions. The barrage has provided The Boy with a multitude of opportunities to become quite the accomplished scooter, and it of course helps that at the Cardiff end there is a skate-park.
Every time we walk/scoot/cycle past the skate-park, our pace slows to a stop and The Boy longingly watches the 'big boys and girls' on their skateboards. He pauses to watch the grinds, the kickflips and the railslides. Gasping with glee or anxiety, I can almost see him trying to work out the ages of the youngest child there so he can create his persuasive argument as to why he should lose the handle and pole of his scooter and gain an extra wheel as a skateboard instead.
In time he will have one, of course he will. They're incredibly popular and I can't think of a better way to encourage children to be active in the fresh air, especially when they reach the tweens/teens age phase where it becomes far too easy to stay in and play a computer game. I don't think I'm going to be able to put him off until that age though before he starts asking for one, not with the way that he admires the boys on the barrage.
The thought of The Boy trying to master one of the conventional 30 inch skateboards though fills me with terror, balance is a difficult thing to master as it is without worrying about the length of the deck. A new craze has entered the boarding world which might well save me from numerous anxious moments over the forthcoming few years; the Penny skateboard. Created in Australia by a skater who had fond memories of the mini plastic skateboard that he had as a five year old child, the 22 inch Penny skateboard would be perfect for The Boy as it's lightweight, easy to manoeuvre and control due to the size, and of course suits little feet much better.
Now, forget elbow and kneepads; where can I buy a padded bodysuit from?
This is a sponsored post.
Mushroom loves his scooter too! At the moment he keeps asking for a bike with pedals as he feels he is now 'big enough' but he too stares longingly after skateboard, which seem to be the height of cool for him (I still think they're pretty cool too). Sometimes he rides his scooter sideways and pretends. Maybe when he's a bit older, we'll see. Shall we take the padded bodysuit idea to Dragon's Den? 😉