Focus!!

When I was younger, I took dance class. O.k., that's an understatement. I pretty much lived in the studio. I started off like any normal kid taking two classes a week and it all sort of snowballed into being there everyday on a full scholarship from Patsy Swayze, who saw how much being there meant to me. Looking back, nobody every pushed me into it. I found the dance studio in the phone book. I bugged my mom to register me. I got myself motivated for class and I pushed myself until I was actually really good. I don't bring this up to toot my own horn. I only mention it because Taylor, at the ripe old age of 3, is a dance class drop out. (Sniffle, Sniffle.) At first she loved it! She'd spin and laugh, and have a jolly ol' time. And then the teacher decided to change class rooms every so often. Well Ms. Tay's not one for change, let me tell you. It threw her for a loop. And all in all, she just didn't seem to like it anymore. I won't lie. I was a wee bit sad that I might never see my baby as the Sugar Plum Fairy. But not wanting to be a pushy stage-mom, I stopped taking her once she announced she didn't like it.

On to the next adventure! She pointed to a picture of a girl on the balance beam and said, "I want to do nastics." That's gymnastics, for those of you who don't speak toddler. So we've been going to nastics class every Thursday and she really enjoys it. It's running, jumping, balancing, and just having a lot of fun. And it's SO much fun to watch her enjoy herself. It's what I truly live for. I don't care if she grows up to be an underwater basket weaver, as long as she's happy.

I sit there and watch her, sometimes my dad comes along, and we cheer at every little thing the kid does. If she does a front roll, we cheer. If she gets across the balance beam, or even if she doesn't, we cheer. We'd cheer for just about anything. And for the most part, the other parents do too. But parenting is a funny thing. There are some parents who scold from the stands, yelling at their kid to, "Pay attention!" Some even threaten time-outs if their kids don't "Focus!" Taylor's three. There's not a lot of focusing going on. But that's o.k.! And I have to remind myself of that when she tells me, "I don't want to flip upside down today. And I'm afraid to swing from the rope." When I get a little frustrated with her, I try to remember how my parents were with me and back off entirely. And to stifle that little, tiny part of me that's disappointed,(and I cringe with embarrassment as I type that.) Not disappointed in her, by any means. Just a little bummed that she's lacking in confidence to do anything! Even if it's the confidence to flip upside down, because really, who cares? That's not exactly a skill she'll apply to her adult life. At least, not to any career you'd hope for your child to have.=) I'm proud of the girl no matter what she does, and I'm thankful I had parents who felt the same.

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