There’s nothing quite like your first time. The awkward baby steps, the nervous hesitations, the tender care and attention. The hockey rink staff watching with tears in their eyes.

Or is that just Canadians?

From the Kingston Whig-Standard:

Expecting a Saturday morning departure, [Captain Dave] Perry had booked the ice at the Gananoque Recreation Centre for yesterday afternoon so he and his four-year-old son, Mitchell, could spend an hour playing hockey [before he left for Afghanistan with the Canadian Armed Forces]. Told that he was leaving yesterday morning instead, he called the rink to cancel and explained why.

Sue Smith, who books ice time at the arena, told him not to worry. She moved existing bookings around on Thursday afternoon so father and son could have 90 minutes to themselves, shooting pucks at a couple of real nets. Smith only charged Perry a few dollars for the time.

“[The arena staff] were great,” Perry said yesterday as he and the other soldiers waited to board the bus that was taking them to Trenton.

“He’s never played hockey before but it was something that I really wanted to do with him before I left.”

Smith said she never gave a second’s thought to clearing the schedule when she heard that Perry was shipping out early for his nine-month tour.

“I thought it was important that he have that memory, and seeing the two of them out there was so cute,” she said.

“It was a special moment for them, and I’m glad we were able to help him out.”

Something for the care package? How about hockey puck gumballs?

We here at Teeny Manolo are just a wee bit excited to announce that we have been nominated by the superfantastic reader Galadrium for the Blogger’s Choice Awards in the Best Parenting Blog Category!  Thank you Galadrium, we are indeed honored and humbled.

Now, dear readers, would you be so kind as to join forces with the good Galadrium?  You will have to register on the site, which can take an extra minute or two. But in doing so, know you will be suffused with that special glow that comes from a deed of kindness.  People will stop you on the street and say, “My, you look even more fabulous today than usual!” and you will reply, “That’s because I voted for Teeny Manolo!”

Simply go to the Blogger’s Choice Awards site, register, and search for us under our URL, which is teenymanolo.com.

That’s it!

Go now! Because at the moment, we have only one vote, and we’d really, really like to break into the double digits!

And you’d like to bring about World Peace, wouldn’t you?