Spent my Mother's Day weekend taking Park from her first performance ever - at a nursing home; followed by her her participation in the town parade, her first performance at the town festival, and swimming class. I have to admit that at first I was overwhelmed. I didn't grow-up doing all of those things, and the Bronx certainly didn't have any town parades that I was aware of! Getting to rehearsals on time, doing quick costume changes, applying make-up, doing hair, (since they rejected my Cell Block H look, I've learned to nix the corn rows and get her hair into a ponytail at the top of her head), and running from one location to the next was at first intimidating. But somewhere along the way I got into it. These are the experiences that will shape her life and build her confidence. At three she has been in a parade and performed on stage; she has sung in front of her church and is comfortable being in front of people.
At first I tried to play it cool with the performances. At the nursing home I kind of laid back watching, trying to be the calm, relaxed parent. But by festival time I realized she needed to know we were there, supporting her, loving her and being proud of her. So as she entered the stage, I shouted her name, blew kisses and made sure she knew Mommy and Daddy were there - and that little girl - the tiniest one up there, sought out our faces and began to smile and dance. Now she didn't know all of her steps and tended to stay stock-still at the ones she forgot, but some how - with her round little belly, covered in purple, she managed to move the crowd - and mommy and Daddy's hearts.
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