I don’t like winter sports – I do not like to be cold. I am not a skier or snowboarder or generally an outdoorsy type of person when the temperature is below 40 degrees.

This week I watched my girls learn to ski. Mae has skied before but the last time she was 5 or 6 – she is 11 now. She was scared at first – and cold – and complained quite a bit but after her lesson, I couldn’t get her off the mountain. Lu has never skied before – after a one hour lesson and about 2 hours on the easy course, I couldn’t get her off the expert run for another 5 hours. I set Sam up for a private lesson or a refresher as he hadn’t skied in a few years but like riding a bike, it comes back quickly. Today he learned to parallel ski.

I learned to ski in my twenties. Actually learned is a big of an exaggeration. I took a lesson in my twenties and hated every single minute of it, returned my skis and never tried again. My brother and sister both ski – because my parents took them when they were younger – by the time I came along, family ski trips were out and so I never learned. Skiing is one of those things best learned when you are young and your fears are not as concrete. When you are lower to the ground so a fall doesn’t hurt so much and when you are fearless and a big old mountain is not the least bit scary.

I sat in the lodge for 3 days and watched my kids fly. Laughing and loving life. They stopped once or twice for a drink and some food and then back out they went. It was 22 degrees – and snowing. They were wet and frozen with icicles hanging from their jackets and snow up their sleeves and they didn’t care. They were having a blast. I was sad I couldn’t be out there with them. They kept begging me to come and ski – to take a lesson – but I know it’s not for me. I went to the ice rink with them after skiing and only lasted 20 minutes – it was just too cold. I really just wanted to be inside curled up with a good book in front of the fire. What I can offer my kids is the experience. I will take them skiing – I will be their biggest cheerleader - they can grow up knowing how to ski and loving it and I will be in the lodge, toasty warm, watching out a big window with a big smile on my face – watching my kids fly.