SK8R Boy
He has been obsessed with skateboarding for years. He has been in love with the Tony Hawk game since he was 4 or 5. Mom and Dad finally relented and got him a skateboard. After much research, we decided it would be safer to get a “real” skateboard instead of the toy ones at the big box stores (those have problems with the wheels not turning right and catching…the last thing he needs is a board that make it harder to skate, because this is going to be a lot of hard work to learn as it is). We found this neat hole in the wall skateshop and they helped him pick one, then adjusted the trucks to work correctly with his weight. By sheer coincidence, it matched the skateboard on his much beloved skateboard shirt (that he INSISTED on wearing every time he and Zach went to the skate shop as they were figuring out what to get).
The board finally came in, and on the way home we tried to decide where to let him have his first try at it. I suggested the hospital parking lot. That suggestion was promptly ignored. We realized that WSU ST parking lot was on our way and has a huge, mostly empty parking lot and it was the perfect solution. And the angels were on our side because Zora decided to fall asleep about a block before we got there and slept through the entire thing.
After long last, here is my skateboarding son.
His first ride
It was a hot day, and a lot of stressful new motor planning, and he got tired and fairly quickly. He took off the helmet and the guys walked over to the grass where the wheels could sink into the ground (soft from recent rain) and not roll, and practiced balance and Zach demonstrated how to push off with the foot.
We had one happy and tired boy, and just as we pulled away from the parking lot, Zora woke back up, unaware that we had ever stopped. Perfect.
posted in Autistic Life, Skateboard, Zane | 4 Comments
