Recognizing What Makes Them Come Alive!

My daughter is fast becoming…growing, changing, exploring, letting go, and moving forward. She is literally transforming before my eyes, and I can honestly say that it is both a joy and a privilege to be her mom, even on the days when I feel challenged by her determination to be who she wants to be in spite of everything she feels the world wants her to do.

She is creative and bubbly and brilliant. When she is doing something she loves, her body comes alive. Nothing can contain the energy that flows from her, and it is evident, without a doubt, that she is aligned and happy and true. A decade of living with her, day in and day out, has guided me to recognize that glow. And when she’s there, in that place of alignment and extreme joy, no matter how or why, she is a giving and loving soul, and she shines!

In a world of higher education and highest expectation, I have felt the pull of giving my children experiences so that they will be prepared for the future, but somehow, the more conscious I have become, the more aware I am of the impact of these expectations and the more inclined I am to tune in to the guidance of my little girl.

She has been taking piano lessons for a little over a year, something decided upon because she literally had no interest in doing any other extra-curricular activity. Each week, before going to class, she would say how she didn’t want to go. The teacher said she was a natural, she learned so quickly. At the same time, her older brother decided to take piano class at school. He, too, is a quick learner and, before long, it felt like right timing to get a keyboard so they could have ongoing access to practice and explore at home.

My son came to the piano regularly and, when he played, his body swayed, he was joyful and electric much like I described Grace when she is aligned and true. Music is a passion for my son. However, I soon saw that our daughter had something else in mind.

At the start of the New Year, just one month after getting the keyboard, Grace came to me and told me she wanted to make a video. She did what she set out to do and, one by one, she has created a channel of her own, a space where she creates and shares and uses her voice, connecting with other children who are interested in her sharing. I have never had to ask her to go and make a video. They are flowing from her! On the other hand, she does not play piano unless prompted. I’m sure by now you can clearly see where this is going.

Just last week, there came a natural break in her lessons, a time to reframe and reevaluate. I have long known the time was coming to release the lessons, but I wasn’t sure how to tell my husband since the purchase of the keyboard, which is still being enthusiastically used by my son who, by the way, is now signed up for an advanced music theory class!

To know what you prefer, instead of humbling saying amen to what the world tells you,

you ought to prefer is to have kept your soul alive.

Robert Louis Stevenson

It is obvious that, at least right now, piano is not my daughter’s interest and who’s to say if it ever will be. What I do know is that when we discussed it and decided she could use some of the money she would otherwise use for lessons toward her channel and creations, she was thrilled. Needless to say, when we went to shop for new items, that electricity showed up again and, as we hiked in the park yesterday, she slipped her hand in mine and thanked me for my generosity. My response was internal, but I know she felt it as I quietly thanked her for her patience with me while I learned how to navigate this moment in both our lives. Not only does she feel good about this shift in direction, but I am also feeling relief on so many levels. In fact, it is her desire to know what she wants to do and her determination to do it, that has inspired me to begin sharing this particular kind of post. I am discovering more of who I am. My life is full of MAGICAL MOMents! Being a MAGICAL Mom to my three amazing children has truly transformed me and given me a powerful new perspective on the journey of parenthood and keeping my own soul alive!