insecurities

There is only one week left until the eldest starts dance class. I fear that the hummingbirds ballet class may be a gateway drug to much worse things.

It starts out innocently enough, just one pirouette, then before you know it she'll be doing more advanced maneuvers like a battement. Then she'll branch out in to completely different things like jazz dance. She'll be doing kick ball changes off of a table top in no time. If we're not careful, she'll be out on the streets learning hip hop and pop locking with any stranger that will give her the time of day! But I digress...

The fact of the matter is that I can't dance. I'm a dude, and like to do dude things. I enjoy things like baseball, tennis, basketball, and the atlas stone lift. These are the activities I know, granted my skills aren't what they once were, especially in regards to lifting a giant stone.

However, I still like to view, analyze, and play the aforementioned sports. What if my daughters don't like anything that I'm good at. I most definitely can't teach them how to dance, do gymnastics, or figure skate. So will my role become one of a cheerleader, and nothing else?

While in time I must come to grips with the idea of being merely an athletic supporter, that time is not now. The three year old is waiting outside with her baseball bat, we've got some soft toss to do.

Don't be afraid to dance like a little white girl, after all they have all the best moves. In our house there are a few signature moves. The first one starts out innocent enough, looking like an over aggressive air guitar player imitating a Pete Townshend windmill, and ends looking more like a sputtering prop plane that has lost one of its propellers. Then there are the intricate vogue-like hand movements, coupled with eyes darting back and forth. For a finale she'll roll around on the floor stopping intermittently to strike a pose.

Don't be afraid to chase ghosts, they don't belong in your house! Many nights, the three year old will go ghost hunting. This involves a flashlight, sneaking around, and a lot of shooing ghosts away. Sometimes this game creeps me out because it all seems a little too real in her mind… or maybe she really does see ghosts. At least by the end of the night, I know our house is safe from apparitions.

Most importantly, don't be afraid of your children. Often times in trying to make our kids normal, functioning members of society, we end up stifling their creativity. We end up trying to create mini versions of ourselves. While the people who know me would say that's not such a bad thing because of how awesome I am at life, it would be really boring living with a tiny version of myself. I would rather let my kids be themselves, even if that means I have to get out of the little box that I've grown accustomed to. After all, I do in fact dance like a little white girl, and try as I might, I just can't quite see these ghosts.