Author Topic: skate dads  (Read 23472 times)

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posguy

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skate dads
« on: March 23, 2015, 09:29:56 AM »
So I've talked with Hate! about this a little but are there any other skate dads on here? I'm a step-dad to my girlfriends two daughters. I'm working with the older one on skating some at parks and stuff and she's shown more promise on it and willingness to fall and get back up than she has with other sports. Finding time to go skate by myself downtown is tough though. Anyone on here want to talk about being a skate dad?
« Last Edit: March 23, 2015, 03:04:43 PM by posguy »

JB

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2015, 12:06:21 PM »
my girlfriend has a 3 1/2 year old and ive tried to get him into it, but i think hes still too young. if i get my board out, he will get on it on the carpet and stand on the tail and then kind of drop in so that all 4 wheels are back on the ground. thats his "trick". the second we get outside though he just wants to run around and play tag or pretend hes a super hero or something. i dont want to force him to do it in case it backfires on me and he ends up hating skateboarding. im hoping he will take more of a liking in it this summer, but it might be a few more years. i dont think ive ever seen a kid that young skating in person before.

posguy

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #2 on: March 23, 2015, 01:12:13 PM »
Wow that is young! I remember riding a "skateboard" once when I was 4-5 but I didn't pick it up till 14/15 I think. My girlfriends oldest daughter is 7 so I'm pretty impressed that she is taking it well. She fell after a week or so and kept it up even though I offered to take her home. It was a cool thing to see.

noileum

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2015, 01:33:26 PM »
Two boys here (9 and 6) and neither have really shown an interest which is fucking annoying as I've a few mates whose kids skate and it would be fucking brilliant excuse to get more time on the board at weekends during the day.

Still - I dont want to pressure them into it but they do both have ZipZingers (which are fast as fuck) in the garage that they sometimes piss about on in the back garden.

They've both got scooters as well which thankfully they've also not shown much of an interest in, as while that would be shite it would mean I could take them to the skatepark . . . .

Harry in Your Pocket

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #4 on: March 23, 2015, 01:41:12 PM »
Skateboarding is the first activity that me and my older boys have enjoyed together. My wife and I put them into a bunch of sports to see what would click. Football, Basketball, Baseball, Tennis, Golf, Soccer...nothing really moved them.

Late last year my middle son decided he wanted a skateboard. I'm not sure what prompted him to want one, but I got one at the same time. We've been skating ever since. It's fun watching videos, discussing parts of our favorite skaters, going to the skatepark (although I still get a little too embarrassed to be there) and finding spots around town. I skated back in the early to mid 80's. Sucked then (but had fun) suck even worse now (but have, incredibly, even more fun!).  

So far skating has been a real blessing for me since we all do it together. I figure at 14 and 11, I've only got another year or two before they hate my guts so I'm going to cherish every moment we get to skate together.

It's been Rad.

Here's me trying to wallride the Jersey barrier.



And my son setting up to ollie a little two stair.


« Last Edit: March 23, 2015, 01:45:28 PM by Harry in Your Pocket »

Sleazy

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2015, 01:53:56 PM »
i skate, i have kids (girl 7, boys 4 and 3). i've taken them to the park a few times but it's just like taking kids to the pool. your not swimming for yourself, your being a life guard, spotter and play partner for your kids. same thing at the skate park. if i take the kids, i'm doing a lot of things, but none of them are really skating. i figured out recently that paying a local guy who does lessons to work with my kids allows me to skate a lot more and that's probably the way i'll keep going with it. they all like it and my youngest seems kind of gnarly. he sits on his butt on the board but is real stubborn about pushing his way up to the top of ramps, wants 0 help and if he slams gets over it real quick and tries again. he also like to try the bigger and bigger ramps. i'll keep taking them from time to time and hope someone gets into it but really i don't care. we also do a lot of hiking and biking and all kinds of other outdoor stuff. so as long as i can still get out for a session once or twice a week, i'm still good and if some of the kids start wanting to come, even better.

posguy

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2015, 02:25:15 PM »
Two boys here (9 and 6) and neither have really shown an interest which is fucking annoying as I've a few mates whose kids skate and it would be fucking brilliant excuse to get more time on the board at weekends during the day.

Still - I dont want to pressure them into it but they do both have ZipZingers (which are fast as fuck) in the garage that they sometimes piss about on in the back garden.

They've both got scooters as well which thankfully they've also not shown much of an interest in, as while that would be shite it would mean I could take them to the skatepark . . . .

The scooters could be a gateway to the board though

i skate, i have kids (girl 7, boys 4 and 3). i've taken them to the park a few times but it's just like taking kids to the pool. your not swimming for yourself, your being a life guard, spotter and play partner for your kids. same thing at the skate park. if i take the kids, i'm doing a lot of things, but none of them are really skating. i figured out recently that paying a local guy who does lessons to work with my kids allows me to skate a lot more and that's probably the way i'll keep going with it. they all like it and my youngest seems kind of gnarly. he sits on his butt on the board but is real stubborn about pushing his way up to the top of ramps, wants 0 help and if he slams gets over it real quick and tries again. he also like to try the bigger and bigger ramps. i'll keep taking them from time to time and hope someone gets into it but really i don't care. we also do a lot of hiking and biking and all kinds of other outdoor stuff. so as long as i can still get out for a session once or twice a week, i'm still good and if some of the kids start wanting to come, even better.

I hear ya on the babysitter status. I found bringing them to the park in the early morning is where it's at. I wake up for work at 5 during the week so I'm usually up by 7 on the weekends. I'll grab the oldest quietly and we'll slip away in the morning over to the park and since noones there that early she gets free reign and I just have to listen for her to be really hurt otherwise she just skates around doing the ramps. How do you progress them from ramps to ollies? Have them try them in the grass or carpet?

dgus138

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #7 on: March 23, 2015, 02:43:53 PM »
My best skate buddy is my 4 year old. He got pretty into it last year when he was 3 and could start to go down banks and up and down a 1/4 pipe. We have a lot of scooter kids around here though and his one cousin is a pretty hardcore scooterer, so he sort of just thinks that they're the same thing. He was asking us for a scooter, well he was asking Mom cause he kinda knows I think they suck, so his grandparents have bought him a couple cause really they think they're the same thing too. My stance on scooters for little kids has lightened up a little, since getting the scooter it's helped his ability to balance and push on the skateboard, and it's a little more fun for him cause he can get going a lot faster on it. Like I said, he knows I don't like them so he almost seems embarrassed to ask to bring it to the park, but I figure the more I try to stop him from riding one the more he's going to want to so all I can do is make sure he brings his skateboard as well and try to get him to ride both. Hopefully he just outgrows the scooter, but I know he may just outgrow skating as well so right now I just try to get out with him and have as much fun as possible. I feel you guys on the babysitting thing too, it's hard to really get into skating when he's around cause my head is on a constant swivel making sure he's ok and not getting in people's way, but we go on mornings and stick to parks that are less busy and geared more toward beginners so I can still try to get some tricks in. He wants to skate pretty much every day, rain or shine, which is rad, but it's been hard convincing him and Mom that sometimes I just need to go skate by myself too.

dillanharp

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2015, 10:19:09 PM »
My son loves skateboards. He's 17 months old and scoots around on his butt on the carpet or out on the patio. If it's on the carpet he will stand on it but it's more of a step up/step down game right now.

It's hard to get a legitimate session in though. I'm watching him 5 days a week now that school is out.

Stanley Spadowski

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #9 on: March 24, 2015, 10:49:50 AM »
My daughter just turned 6 on the 14th. She's been pushing around on her knee since about 5. She can stand up and skate, but she's still working on pushing. With the weather getting nicer she's been asking to go to the park on the weekends.
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Sleazy

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #10 on: March 24, 2015, 06:01:32 PM »
why are you guys so against the scooter thing?? im not a father (YET!!! maybe one day!!) but it seems kind of lame to not approve of what is essentially the same thing as a skateboard to a child.

one of my sons likes dressing up like princesses. it's just like dressing up like a pirate but i'd definitely prefer pirate on some level. i think it's the same idea as what you are calling out. that said, it's his thing and i don't discourage it. you can be as cool as you want but your still going to be more or less stoked but certain things that they get into.

dillanharp

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2015, 11:24:04 PM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
why are you guys so against the scooter thing?? im not a father (YET!!! maybe one day!!) but it seems kind of lame to not approve of what is essentially the same thing as a skateboard to a child.
[close]

one of my sons likes dressing up like princesses. it's just like dressing up like a pirate but i'd definitely prefer pirate on some level. i think it's the same idea as what you are calling out. that said, it's his thing and i don't discourage it. you can be as cool as you want but your still going to be more or less stoked but certain things that they get into.
[close]
I wonder how stoked my parents were when I used to play with barbies before I had any sisters :/
Where did you get the barbies if you didn't have sisters?

I gave my nephew a board a few years ago because she showed a genuine interest. One Christmas I was over there in the garage with his dad, drinking beers and he was riding a scooter around. I asked him about the board and he said it was harder than the scooter so he stopped riding it. Tells you a little something about the work ethic of scooter kids... He eventually used the board I gave him for a science fair project.

JB

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #12 on: March 25, 2015, 06:55:43 AM »
i think if a kid just wants something to ride around on and have fun with other kids in the neighborhood, theyre going to choose the scooter. it seems like kids dont even ride bikes anymore, they all just have scooters because theyre the easiest thing to ride. i had one when razors first came out, but when i saw kids in my neighborhood that were younger than me on skateboards and doing tricks, i wanted to start skating because it was more challenging. and if those kids could do it, i knew i could. kids have to be up for the challenge if theyre going to start skating, and skating is one of those things thats so challenging and discouraging that a lot of kids who get skateboards never really get into it.

ive already thought about getting my girlfriends kid a scooter this summer just so he has something to ride around on, and all the other kids in the neighborhood have them, so i know he would have fun with it. my interest in skating started when i was 12, so i know it could take a long time for him to get into it if he ever does, and thats fine. of course ill still push skating on him a little, but id never discourage him from playing with another toy over the one that i prefer.

posguy

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #13 on: March 25, 2015, 08:28:53 AM »
why are you guys so against the scooter thing?? im not a father (YET!!! maybe one day!!) but it seems kind of lame to not approve of what is essentially the same thing as a skateboard to a child.

I think that those of us that had scooters when we were younger, when they first came out, didn't realize that they were uncool or used them for tricks. My grandfather had one cause he's a hip old man and goes to Japan every year for his art and when I rode it I just wanted one. I rode around on it and wore the wheels down to shit cause I could powerslide. Eventually after flat spotting a couple more wheels I lost interest and rode my board around much more. I think my scootering was limited to about 6 months or so. Also this was the time when we didn't have skaters vibing on it cause it was so new. Let the kids roll around on a scooter and skateboard and ripstick as much as they want but when they see what skateboarding brings to you they will want to try it and I think lean invariably towards skating over scooters/ripsticks/rollerblades.

dgus138

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #14 on: March 25, 2015, 09:03:27 AM »
why are you guys so against the scooter thing?? im not a father (YET!!! maybe one day!!) but it seems kind of lame to not approve of what is essentially the same thing as a skateboard to a child.
It's mainly because, like others have mentioned, it's way easier to hop on and rip around on, which is fun for a kid but not fun for anyone else at the skatepark who's following some sort of park etiquette. It then makes it less fun for me to be at the skatepark because I end up following him around and making sure he's watching where he's going, which the majority of scooter parents don't do because they have no idea about park etiquette. With the skateboard I feel they're more aware of what's going on because it's harder to get going fast and get in other people's way, it still happens but in my experience they "learn" more about skateparks and interacting with other people. So my reservations on kids riding scooters resides mostly in skateparks where a lot of parents feel entitled to let their kids run wild and then cause a scene when inevitably their kid has a collision with a skater. I guess it's less to do with the scooters and more to do with parents that don't know any better and treat skateparks as playgrounds. When it comes to playing around the house or whatever I could really care less what toys he chooses to play with.

Gnatpant

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #15 on: March 28, 2015, 10:18:02 AM »
I've got a 2 year old and he likes watching skate videos with me. I held him on my board and pushed him around and he was pyched, not gonna force anything on him though.

paraquat

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #16 on: March 29, 2015, 03:35:13 PM »
Took my 9 month old son skating with me. He liked watching cruise. He got scared when I would run and throw my board down. I hope he is pysched on skating. It would sure piss his grandma off.

Xen

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #17 on: March 31, 2015, 06:07:15 PM »
Two girls 8 and 9 (part time Dad).

They can push, balance, ride and turn a bit; my eldest (good at everything) can turn nicely and tic tac. She can sort of ollie on grass. They can both drop in of curbs ;)

We go to a large parking lot that gets zero traffic on weekends (and it's enclosed), I set up my flat bar and they roll around.

Pretty fun thing to do with them =D

I made them assemble their first board on their own, pretty funny.

Paul Cicero

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #18 on: April 02, 2015, 11:21:01 PM »
I'm proud to say SLAP heads that I will be able to join this conversation in 6 months!
I'm this perfect mix of nervousness and excitement right now.

posguy

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #19 on: April 03, 2015, 10:25:16 AM »
I'm proud to say SLAP heads that I will be able to join this conversation in 6 months!
I'm this perfect mix of nervousness and excitement right now.

Congratulations man!!!

Harry in Your Pocket

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #20 on: April 03, 2015, 03:37:22 PM »
I'm proud to say SLAP heads that I will be able to join this conversation in 6 months!
I'm this perfect mix of nervousness and excitement right now.

Oh shit! Congrats. It's a trip.

Good luck.

Paul Cicero

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #21 on: April 03, 2015, 08:23:52 PM »
^ Thanks Legends! ^

fang

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #22 on: April 04, 2015, 12:00:45 PM »
My son is 11 months and I get him to watch skate videos with me as much as possible. So far, I more or less think he just likes seeing stuff move on the tv.

In any event, my wife and I are moving back to New Zealand (she's from there) at the beginning of 2016 and we've made the deal that I can have my own mini-ramp and or some cement type area. Preferably both, would love my own ledges/bank to skate. Anyway, I hope my son gets into skating, as him being raised in NZ as opposed to here, I am worried about what "familiar" things to do with him, as I'm not a kiwi. I was psyched on the idea of taking him to baseball games, hockey games like my dad took me to but alas it is not to be so. Granted I also am gonna try my ass off to make sure he is into doing outdoor activities (4 wheelers, etc), I don't want him to be an inside kid!

Back on track, I hope that having this skate area at our future home will get him psyched on skating. If he isn't into it, it'll be okay but obviously the thought of skating with your kid, is amazing to even fantasize

posguy

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Re: skate dads
« Reply #23 on: April 06, 2015, 12:18:21 PM »
My son is 11 months and I get him to watch skate videos with me as much as possible. So far, I more or less think he just likes seeing stuff move on the tv.

In any event, my wife and I are moving back to New Zealand (she's from there) at the beginning of 2016 and we've made the deal that I can have my own mini-ramp and or some cement type area. Preferably both, would love my own ledges/bank to skate. Anyway, I hope my son gets into skating, as him being raised in NZ as opposed to here, I am worried about what "familiar" things to do with him, as I'm not a kiwi. I was psyched on the idea of taking him to baseball games, hockey games like my dad took me to but alas it is not to be so. Granted I also am gonna try my ass off to make sure he is into doing outdoor activities (4 wheelers, etc), I don't want him to be an inside kid!

Back on track, I hope that having this skate area at our future home will get him psyched on skating. If he isn't into it, it'll be okay but obviously the thought of skating with your kid, is amazing to even fantasize

Good luck with your personal skatepark man! that's a dream we all have. Plan it with the future intention of having a newbie skate it so either put in some smaller stuff for him or make it out of wood. That's the best way I think.