Was taking my kids to the Ski Team the other day and I forgot my pass at home…
So, instead of having them wait for me, I sent them up the lift on their own. Without hesitation, my 8, 9 and 11 years old hopped on the chair lift and poof, they were gone.
As I watched them fade off the mountain, I couldn’t help but realize that they don’t need me to ski them over anymore, and to be totally honest, they probably haven’t for a while now.
We all go through times in our life where we are significant players in the lives of others. The influence that we have is extraordinary, and in a lot of ways, others are very much dependent on our actions.
Yet, at some point, we are no longer needed or needed in a much different capacity and role. This can often be a tough transition that has us questioning the core of our very own self-worth. It’s only natural to have these feelings and standing at the bottom of the chairlift literally brought tears to my eyes…
Then, as I turned around and began walking back into the lodge, I had an incredible sense of overwhelming pride come over me.
Three little groms that I taught how to ski and snowboard just hopped on a lift with the utmost confidence and said…
“See you later Daddy!”
My pride wasn’t so much that they had no problem getting on the lift and skiing to the other side of the mountain by themselves, or even the fact that all 3 have become complete and total badasses on the mountain… The sense of pride I felt actually wasn’t really for them at all, it was for Tarah, and it was for me.
We have spent nearly the past decade skiing with the kids to the other side of the hill. There were times when we both literally had to carry them on our backs down the mountain and other times when we got stuck at the top with 1, 2 or all 3 in tears because they were too scared to charge down the face… Endless days, hours and mountain mishaps were spent to get them to this moment, yet I think both Tarah and I were so immersed in the process of being ski coach/chaperone/escort parents that we never thought that this time was going to come.
Look, I get it, we probably should have realized the kids were fine to ski over on their own when they started kicking our ass down the hill awhile ago, but I think both of us wanted to hang on to the fact that we were still needed and our role as relevant ski escorts actually still existed.
Times change, kids grow up, and we are often left to face new realities head-on. Instead of getting sad and letting these moments of change discourage us, let’s be grateful that we were able to have had these shared experiences…
Ultimately, we should be extremely proud that these are the moments that have led to the growth and development of them, and us.
Just as our dude Dr. Seuss says…
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
-EB