Music To My Eyes
Feeling guilty about not volunteering enough at my son's
elementary school this year, I signed up to chaperone their St.
Patrick's Day party, a.k.a. "Irish Disco". Of course, my young
daughter wanted to come along. I never thought I'd be taking my
kids to their first dance at the ages of four and nine!
I hardly saw my son during the whole party. He was hanging out
with the boys, and 'too cool' to sit with his mom and little
sister. But it didn't bother me in the least - I enjoyed two
hours of watching both my children have an amazingly good time!
The DJ had flashing lights, loud speakers, and the most popular
dancing and party music. My daughter put on her usual "shy act"
for the first fifteen minutes or so, until one of her favorite
songs came on. It took about two seconds for her to start
strutting her stuff on the dance floor with the girls from my
son's class. There were other children her age there, but they
weren't very interested in dancing. My daughter shows a true
love for music and rhythm, and once she got herself moving, she
was a natural!
In my own childhood, I was quiet, very reserved, and shy. I
would never ever get up in front of anyone and do anything that
I didn't absolutely have to. I don't think I stepped onto a
dance floor until I was over eighteen years old! I had a good
childhood, but I do regret my bashfulness. It's so magical to me
to see how truly outgoing my own daughter is now, and I will do
everything possible to nurture that side of her - to keep her
strong, independent, and proud of herself. I could see it on her
face, that look of knowing that she was doing what felt right
for her, and it didn't matter what the world thought - it just
felt good to dance!!!
She started requesting songs from the DJ, so she'd hear her
favorites. She was lost in a world of music & movement, with a
grin from ear to ear. I could just tell that she had forgotten
all her worries, and she would stay on that dance floor for days
if I would let her. The little girl inside me envied her so much
during those moments I spent watching her.
This was a true lesson that our children are individuals, not
something that we have complete control over. She is so
different from me, in so many ways. I can do my best to be her
biggest role model, but in the end, her own personality will
emerge. And if we are honest with ourselves, I think most of us
would have to agree that we have some traits that we do not want
our children to acquire. My own bashfulness and insecurity is
the fault that I don't want to pass on to my children, and my
daughter has already won that battle, as far as I can tell.
Oh, did I mention that my little girl can really dance?? I mean,
she's truly got rhythm, and can dance on her own, making it up
as she goes along, and it honestly looks good! My little
four-year old was dancing as good as any of the older girls out
there. She was keeping pace with the music, and switching tempos
as fast as the songs changed. I believe she was showing off, but
to nobody but herself, just enjoying the fun of actually dancing
somewhere besides our living room. Of course, I'm a little
biased about her talent on the dance floor, but I'd bet you a
leprechaun's pot of gold that she was the best little dancer at
the Irish Disco!