My daughter is turning two in July. I didn’t plan on putting her on skis until maybe next spring (when she’d be almost three). But as you may have guessed, that plan went flying out the window a few weeks ago.

The weather was perfect, I had the time, she’d been curious about the boots. I got her dressed and she could walk in the (waaaay) too big boots with remarkable skill. She’d taken to the plastic skis over her snow boots in the yard the week before and I had a feeling.

She loved it.

Now, perhaps a definition of what we considered skiing is in order. We wore the boots. We put the skis on, we walked around a little. I held her hips and slid her across the snow. She laughed. She wanted to stop, off came the skis and the next 30 minutes were spent walking in small circles and climbing snowbanks.

The key at this age is that every second is exactly what your little skier wants to do. Do not get cold. Do not take one more run. Heck, don’t even put the skis on if that’s not in the cards. Every single happy moment leads to a lifetime of love for a sport that can instill confidence, good health and generations of family bonding.

Skiing with Alice reminds me that every little thing really does have a big impact. Every purchase I make from a local store, every chemical I get out of my home, every small step in the right direction matters. Every two minute ski with Alice will make or break her love for it, so even though those minutes seem small, they are critically important.

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