I find myself in a bit of a predicament in the shopping arena for my oldest son. He wants a new skateboard. And I have to agree with him, the one he has isn’t of very good quality. Despite hanging out with lots of skateboarders most of my life, having ridden a skateboard, and watching plenty of X Games competitions I have no clue what to buy him. Of course he wants whatever Bam Margera and Tony Hawk are riding on, but it’s his first real skateboard and I’m not willing or able to spend a small fortune on it plus loads of accessories to go along with it. After all, I spent a small fortune on baseball equipment this year, including a $60 baseball bat and a lefties glove whose price I do not like to discuss.

To make my shopping experience even more difficult there are choices between assemble your own board customizing pick and choose or grab complete skateboards premade and ready to hit the pavement. Obviously, customizing is a much more appealing option when you want to be cool like the big boys of the sport but it’s also the pricier option and mommy’s wallet has a headache. I am pretty sure he wants an Element board, and I’m cool with that and I totally understand the want factor of one. He likes Bam Margera as much as I do — I mean, as much as the next pre-teen boy that wants to be a cool skater dude and hang out with Tony Hawk. Yup, totally what I meant. I’m just not ready to lay down $100 on a board yet. Maybe come April when it’s his birthday. Until then I’m hoping the el cheapo board he has right now will last.

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