It's so important to teach kids winter sports so they can grow up loving the season. But how early is too early? The latest sensation is Sloan Henderson, whose parents filmed her snowboarding at - wait for it - 14 months old.
Her parents, Zach and Katie, got her the smallest board they could find just as soon as she could walk, which was a month earlier.
Many videos of kids doing remarkable things capture the Internet's heart, but I must admit I'm just not feeling it with this particular video.
Don't get me wrong, Sloan is a cutie pie, but she looks unsure when she's on the board and it's only when she stops and high fives her dad that she flashes a precious smile.
Then there's the fact that many people have pointed out: she's not wearing a helmet. Look, I don't want to get all judgy and suggest her parents are somehow reckless. The ride was short and smooth, and at no point did Sloan appear to be in actual danger.
Still, the video did make me wonder: What's the almighty rush to get our kids learning sports earlier and earlier?
Is there any good reason a 14-month-old with a soother in her mouth has to learn to snowboard? After all, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy winter and stay active as a family... Watching this video, I sensed that putting her on a board was more for her parents' benefit than for Sloan's. And I know some people will counter my why with why not.
Parents surely have their own comfort levels, yet it begs the question: Is there such thing as too early when it comes to putting a child on the slopes?
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