Since birth my daughter has been surrounded by the arts. Galleries, concerts, band & dance recital videos, poetry and more. There was never a shortage of inspiration or involvement from family and friends.
But oh! Dance. Rarely, if ever, could she be dragged on to a dance floor. Her uncomfortableness, undoubtedly, stems from my own lack of coordination and rhythm. Her dad doesn't really enjoy it either (although his rhythm is impeccable).
And so year after year my mother begs her to try dance. Ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop... It doesn't matter. The greatest gift she has to share with her grandchild is an unwavering passion for artistic movement.
It was on my own accord that I finally just signed her up. One Sunday morning, while she played quietly in her room, I did a quick search online for community activities.
Contemporary Dance immediately caught my eye. The description read:
That sounded perfect! Free form movement without the confines of a specific style. "Emotion Behind Movement" really sold me!
I paid for the 5 week class before I even told her. But to my surprise she seemed genuinely excited. Her first thought out loud was in relation to how happy her bambam (my mom) would be.
Often times I am afraid that as a mom I will push her too far outside her comfort zone. Other times I throw caution to the wind and hope for the best. In the same fashion as trying new foods I have also encouraged her to try new things. I'm her mom and while I respect the passions she is establishing it is also my job to help her take risks.
And if after 5 weeks she isn't in love, then at least she can say she tried something new.
Have you ever pushed, or felt like you should push, your kids to try a new activity that you knew they weren't interested in? How did it work out?
Have you ever pushed, or felt like you should push, your kids to try a new activity that you knew they weren't interested in? How did it work out?
*Crossing my fingers for some success stories*
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