The Face of Determination

I have 2 kids - Ferne and Louis. Ferne is 7, she is in grade 2. Louis is 10, he is in grade 5. It was March break last week and I took them to Up North Montreal for a ski weekend. I took them downhill skiing, snow shoeing, and cross-country skiing. You would think that of all three activities, cross-country would be the easiest - but it wasn't. At least not for Ferne. We went on a 3 kilometer trail with mostly flat land. Ferne must have fallen at least 65 times in that 3 kilometer stretch. A trail that should have taken anywhere from 15 - 20 minutes, took us 1 hour and a half. She was miserable. Every time she fell, she whimpered and lay down on the snow for a good 2 minutes while she griped.

"I hate these stupid skis."
"This is getting boring."
"Why do we have to do this?"
"Why do I have to be last?"
"This hurts."
"Why do I have to be the worst at this?"
"Why don't they wait for me?"
"Why do I keep falling?"
"I want to go fast without falling."

But every time she fell, she got up again and kept going. She was faced with little hills that required side stepping or fishtailing. As hard as she tried to tackle them with cross-country ski technique, she kept falling. None the less, she refused to take off her skis and opted to climb up the hills on her knees instead, skis flailing behind her. With every passing minute, her fatigue increased and her fall rate increased too. By the end, she was exhausted and spent more time on the ground than on her skis. With a few metres to go, I asked her if she wanted to remove her skis and walk the rest of the way. She refused, saying it would only make her feel worse.

Once we crossed the finish line she fell apart. She cried. She complained. She whined and she felt sorry for herself. I told her how proud of her I was for not giving up. I offered to buy her a chocolate bar to boost her energy and make her feel better.

Sometimes all it takes is chocolate. Once we were back in the car heading home she said, "When can we go cross country skiing again?"