The unimaginable has come.
My oldest daughter, Sarah (who gives permission to share this), has found her thing.
Marching Band at State High!
She loves Marching Band! It’s a home for her! It’s a joy! She loves playing music together with her friends; she loves the exercise; she loves the energy. This girl, the one who loves to sleep in and lounge about, is now up at 6:00 AM to get ready for marching and playing her flute.
She’s even thrilled to wear the uniform.
When she told me this was her plan, I was hesitant and skeptical. In my mind, I’m saying this: Marching band? Are you sure that’s you? Are you sure you want to do all the work and be at all those football games? Who likes football? This doesn’t sound like any fun at all! The hot uniform! The away games! The marching! Oh, the marching! This is crazy! No! No!
But the point is that she absolutely loves it. And I’m learning that I can’t picture many of the directions these children choose to go. Just because I can’t see it in my head or imagine it might be great for them doesn’t mean it won’t be. My little world is limited and full of words and activities related to words (debate, forensics, writing). My world is not their world.
So I have to step back and let these people in my family make their own decisions about their lives, even if I can’t see it at all at first.
And so this means I’ll now be attending Friday night football games and shopping for the school colors so I look cute in the bleachers. This means I’m suddenly in community with all these Marching Band parents that are wonderful and will sit beside me at all these games, in all these parades, and at all these events. I’m feeling myself get a little excited, but don’t tell anyone!
Parenting Tip of the Day: Let Them Find Their Own Way.