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In my initial post on parental love and pride, I mentioned my daughter’s choral recital. That recital was a charitable recital, held in the atrium of the Famous Hospital to the North of Us. Saturday night was the full on evening recital for family, friends and the public.
Though her younger brother has had a cold, my daughter valiantly held off on getting it, up until the last song or two of the concert Saturday night. You could see her eyes were a little glassy and she was really tired, and a little out of it (and it was getting toward her normal bedtime anyway!).
She did a phenomenal job with her songs and her scripted joke. My mom was there, and brought her her very first bouquet, which thrilled my daughter no end! Hubby’s mom and brother were slated to come, but due to the snowy weather up in the mountains where they live, they couldn’t make it down to see her.
Other friends came to support our daughter as well, and it meant the world to her to know how loved she was! I even baked cookies from scratch for the reception afterward! Now, that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but, though I love to bake, I do not enjoy the clean-up and these were multi-step, “do this, then refrigerate…” cookies. A polite way of saying you will end up with plenty of stuff to clean up, Lady! All this on a day with (long, ethnic) hair to do, baths to take, yada, yada, yada…
Nonetheless, the evening was a smashing success! When I finally found out that the children would be arriving in our home, I set up this class for my daughter, knowing how much she enjoyed singing. When we went to meet her for the first time, a couple of months before the adoption, I heard her make up songs on the spot, with dead perfect pitch!
I wanted her to have an activity that was all her own, but that also utilized her God-given talents. This class fit the bill, and she really rose to the occasion! Since she will start ballet and Thursday and that is her self-professed “my new thing,” her older brother will be joining her in the chorus for this next semester. Should make for an interesting recital next time!
Photo credit: Stock Xchng
Ohhhh — Thank You !! Sharing about your daughter’s singing class reminded me that I need to call ASAP about a drawing class for Joy which starts next week !! I’m praying she can get in (and we can afford it) because she seems to really enjoy drawing. (Many things in her life are met with minimal or passive interest, so finding something she Likes is special.) Perhaps it’s simply that she has decided that she Can draw — so many of us have determined by age 10 that we are hopeless in art. Because drawing is something she does not Have to do (unlike schoolwork) it has not become a battleground with goals and deadlines. I really want more arenas for Joy in which she can feel proud of herself for her own skills and accomplishments. I see a world of opportunities for her — but only if she has the self confidence to take them !! — Rachel
Great points, Rachel. It’s great for them to have a “wanna” in their lives, versus a “gotta” (because there are plenty of those, like you mention). And nurturing the talent that is already there, so our kids feel success…It’s so important to their budding self-esteem!
Best wishes & keep us posted on how it goes with Joy!
M.