Is that you Frankenstein?

My son was born with my self confidence. That is to say he forgot to grab it on his way to Earth. The possibility of pain or failure was enough to stop him from trying new things. This was a blessing when he was a toddler, he didn't climb much or try to run into the road. Now that he is getting to an age that his friends are playing sports and showing off scabs, he is emblazoned and wants to give it all a try.

He will be eight in a few weeks and he really wanted a skateboard for christmas and I was happy to oblige. His father used to ride and so did I; now here is where my parental hypocrite shines through. I never really rode a skateboard for fun, I did not know any tricks. My entire skateboarding experience was walking with my board as a teenager to a friends house, getting stoned or drunk and riding home. As a 15-17 year old brainiac it made sense to me that if a cop seen me out passed curfew that he or she would think my falling would be from inexperience on a skateboard instead of from underage intoxication. Yup, I was an idiot. But as most ridiculous ideas do, it worked. The only time I was harassed for being out late is when I was walking (a coincidence I'm sure). This is temporary hypocrisy, I will be open with him about my experiences when it is pertinent.

It took months for him to ride his bike with ease. He was afraid that falling off would hurt, and it did. My husband and I spent hours feeding his confidence and telling him that he can do whatever he puts his mind to. I want to encourage my son to experience all things, to learn from failure and pain. More than anything, I want him to pursue his dreams. And here is where the line falls for me, because however cool I think Travis Pastrana is -and I do- I could not handle being his mother. I do not want my son to be without confidence but I also do not want him to be without fear.

So as he idolizes Shawn White, Danny Way and Travis Pastrana I am in the background hoping that he gains the confidence he needs to follow his dreams and yet hoping he keeps enough of the fear to keep him safe.