Skating through motherhood

Picture this: It's early morning, and you're getting your kiddos ready to get out the door and to school on time. You pack lunches, help them get dressed, drop them off at school, and then hit the skate park 🛹.

This is the reality of the Brooklyn Skate Moms, a group of NYC mothers who have turned to skateboarding for one reason and one reason only: to have fun. 

• It all started in 2020, when a group of neighbors got together as lockdowns came to an end, desperate for connection and community. 
• One of them was a former surfer; the other loved to snowboard and was looking for something to do in the off-season. Another was a single mom looking for a way to exercise and find a release. The women all coincidentally found each other at the skatepark and started to plan their skate sessions at the same time. 

Thus, the Brooklyn Skate Moms was born. 

The moms all skate for different reasons; one of them says skating has helped her be easier on herself as she juggles single parenthood while running a business. 

• “You know what,” Ms. Noelliste, the mom in question, said. “If it took me 200 tries to get that axle stall, then I shouldn’t be frustrated that after 10 tries of doing this with my kids or my business, I don’t have it yet.”

Most of the women have used skating as a way to bond with their children as well, sharing the hobby with them on the weekends and learning new tricks together. 

“I think we’re kind of proud of ourselves for doing it,” said one of the skaters, Ms. South. “You know, it’s so easy as a mom to just kind of let go of your passions and everything becomes about your child,” she said.

• The moms have all agreed to stay commited to the club and the fun of it all, even if their kids move onto other things.

🛹 Bottom line: “We have so many responsibilities, and sometimes you can feel really bogged down by them,” Ms. Koh, an artist, told the NY Times. “But what I love about skating is that it doesn’t serve any purpose in our lives except for fun. It is pure, unadulterated joy. You feel like a kid again.”