Guess you never had a pair of those "kiddie skates" or training skates for children. They had 2 small blades in the front and 2 in the back under your heel so you wouldn't be skating on your ankles. Sort of like training wheels on a bicycle . I think I started with those at age 4 or 5 and I recall my 2 younger sisters and younger brother starting on that very same pair. I took my step grand-daughter skating for the first time about 3 years ago at age seven at a local indoor rink and they had this contraption that's like a walker used by the elderly and disabled except it's for use on ice. You just lean forward on it and skate and it helps steady you. She'd never skated before and it really helped her. I think she only fell down once. I saw other small kids with them and they seem to work very well. Too bad I can't remember what they're called. Bet I would have loved them when I was first learning to skate; would have saved me from falling down so much and that ice is soo hard.
