08/01/2026
Sometimes you just have to let them try. ❤️🌊
On the way to the lake tonight, RJ was talking nonstop about surfing. Out of nowhere he said, “I’m gonna flip the board by myself tonight.”
I asked, “Do you want me in the water with you?”
He looked at me like I’d asked the silliest question ever.
“Nope. You stay in the boat.”
When we got to the lake, I started telling Pops and Gigi what his big plan was. He immediately stopped me.
“Mom… don’t tell them. It’s my secret weapon.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
Later, when he wasn’t around, I quietly told Ronnie what RJ was planning. We both kind of laughed and agreed, “Yeah… it probably isn’t happening tonight.”
Not because we didn’t believe in him—but because flipping the board is a lot for a little guy.
Once we got on the water, I asked him one last time.
“Are you sure you don’t want me in the water?”
“Nope. I got it.”
So I stood on the swim platform expecting to water board him a few times until he was ready for help.
Instead…
I watched him flip the board.
Get it positioned.
Get his feet where they needed to be.
And I realized… he was actually doing it.
I scrambled back into the boat, grabbed my phone as fast as I could, and hit record.
His very first attempt ended with the whitewash catching him just as he started getting in front of the wave… but honestly, that didn’t matter.
Tonight wasn’t about riding the longest wave.
It was about watching a little boy quietly decide he was ready, keep his “secret weapon” a secret, and prove to himself he could do something he’d never done before.
A while back we told him, “Once you start surfing on your own, then we’ll start looking at getting you new boards.”
Well…
I think it’s about that time.
phase5wakesurfers and Pure Wakesurf y’all might want to be on standby. I have a feeling we’re going to be shopping for a little board sooner than we thought. 🤙🌊
