Letting a thirteen year old borrow my new grind-plate Heelys and then promptly get shown up horribly by him (he's a skateboarder, which means he knows how to grind.. I don't, yet), and promptly receving a sprained ankle attempting to grind a slippery rail.. funny, but not of interest.
What was of interest was the father bringing his two children to the park, one in infancy and the other approximately two and a half years old- not even able to talk yet- and moving around on a razor scooter.
Oh yes, the skate park was, in fact, full of moving human beings roughly two and a half times his height and eight times his weight. Not one of them came particularly close to colliding with him. (Ist verboten. Not even the biggest asshole in the place would physically interfere with that kid. Even with the father not looking.) For his part, the kid was rapidly learning to understand where the big people were going, wise beyond his years.
A few of the locals even shook hands with him, and he sat down on the long curb next to them. Surreality: A three year old and a seven year old (one of the locals, actually), sitting with a pack of teenagers. The trolls probably think I'm making this up. I'm not.
The father only intervened twice, both times to place him on top of the long incline, move his feet into a balanced position, and hold him while moving him down it at relatively high speed. The kid attempted speed a few times, falling on his ass only twice, and occasionally dramatically succeeding for someone his age.
This is the opposite of coddling. That kid is going to rule that place in ten years. Which is probably the father's intent.
