Glenhaven

Since moving to Portland we have had to find a new skate park. So we checked out the closest one to our house, Glenhaven. It is pretty cool. We went early this morning in order to get there before most skater get out of bed. It just so happened Glenhaven was the spot of skate competition this weekend. So, it got crowded quick, with good skaters too!

Anyway, we skated a little, but will have to go back again during the week, until we get used to the park and its locals.

Lessons from the skate park

At the skate park there is no shortage of smokes, tattoos or pride.

After seeing a 11 year old land a 10 foot drop in on a Razor scooter, I said to the kids, " Wow, that was pretty good!." (This is not a feat I would try!) His reply, "Yeah, I'm pretty good!"

Lessons From The Skate Park

One of the best and scariest things about going to the skate park with my boys is not the huge 10 foot drop in (I stay away from that), nor is it the potential for a body mangling collision with another skater or biker, but is the exposure to culture my guys get.

Take language for instance.

It use to be that my kids heard most of their swearing in church (thats another blog entry in itself). But at the skate park they regularly hear, or at least I hear, F-bombs all the time. There is other colorful language too: sh*t, oh my G-d, ass*ole and even regular, but strange words like "rapist."

So what is a father to do? I could stop taking my boys to the skate park. I could ignore it. I could explain it. I could do what one dad did today and yell at the kids saying it. But I know yelling would only prompt more cussing in my direction. So, I have taken a different route.

I want to meet these kids on there grounds. I mean it is really a park for them and I have yet to see another dad (other the teenage ones) out skating in it. I know it is a public park, but still does a 36 year dude really need to be boarding around with his little punks scooter riding brats? At this point I don't yell. I haven't even said anything at all.

When the time is right, I will just ask them to not cuss around the younger kids. No big deal. I might even look them in the eye and say, "you're smart enough to think of another word to use, give it a shot." The bottom line is to not make a big deal out it. The last thing I want is to be another adult yelling at these kids. I am sure they get that enough other places.

Hopefully my way of handling the language issue will do two things:
1. build a rapport with the kids at the skate park.
2. model for my boys how to be Jesus to the world around them without being judgmental and condemning.

We will have to see how this works.

I know one thing, my kids are going hear this kind of language all their lives (both in the church and certainly outside it) and I would rather have them hear it with me around than not.

A Poor mans mid-life crisis

So I bought a skateboard yesterday. The boys like going to the skate parks by our house and riding their Razor scooters. I get bored just watching so I bought a board. I got it cheap, so no big deal.

I figured I have more experience on a skateboard (albeit 20 years ago) than I do on a scooter. And you all know what happened last time a rode a scooter at a skate park. Yep, you got it, I broke my elbow last 4th of July. I was bored than too.

Maybe this will be a good way to hang with my boys.
Maybe this will be a way to meet and talk with some local kids.
Maybe this is a serious cry for help.
Maybe I am nuts. Debra just laugh when I told her the board was not for the boys, but for me!

Its not like I left my wife for a women half her age. Nor did I by a red convertible. Its just a skateboard.


Comments I heard about the board:

Debra: Did you get a helmet with the new toy?

Ben: Who's the skateboard for?
Dad: Me.
Ben: Oh dad you going to break again!

Kid @ the park: Hey, is that a brand new board?
Me: Yes.
Kid @ the park: Yeah, I could tell, it still has all the paint on it.



More from the skate park later...