Ballerina For A Day

I had this great idea to sign Valerie up for a ballet class. I thought it would be something fun I could do with her in the mornings while the boys are at school. I had the perfect image in my head of taking my cute little girl to a ballet class and having a great time watching her and praising her for doing so well. I have been reading the book "Raising Your Spirited Child," and it helped me to understand that a spirited child often has a hard time warming up to new things and situations. So Darryl and I took her to the first day of ballet class with the expectation that she would be slower to join in then most of the other girls. What I didn't expect was that she wouldn't end up joining in at all.

I tried encouraging her with hugs and kisses

I tried showing her that it was fun and that she would love it

I tried teaching by example and doing the moves myself

I tried talking to her

I tried quietly watching and waiting patiently

I tried convincing her the best I could

For the last couple minutes of class she joined in to bow for the parents because the teacher offered a candy to every little girl who would bow....

And that was my ballerina for a day! I ended up canceling the class and accepting that Valerie knows what she likes and I can't force her to do something she doesn't want to. I am trying to be better at accepting that and allowing her to express herself in the way she wants.

And let's face it, she'd much rather do this then dance around a room like a ballerina...and I'm just fine with that. :)

Here is a poem I recently wrote for my little Valerie!

             My Little Tomboy

My little tomboy is just 3 years old-

With big brown eyes and hair like gold.

She rises early and stays up late.

She plays in the dirt, and skirts she does hate.

Her hair is a mess and she likes it that way,

And when she gets dressed I have no say.

In a stained t-shirt and a pair of jeans

Her cute round face is seldom clean.

With dirty hands she runs along,

usually singing some little song.

Old dirty flip-flops she wears on her feet-

As she goes running down the street.

There's no girls to play with, just little boys,

but she really prefers their kinds of toys.

Once in a while she'll play with a doll,

But this doesn't last very long at all.

It's swords, or cars, or batman and such-

These are the things she likes very much.

When Sunday comes, at my earnest request

She reluctantly wears a girly dress.

Her face is clean, her hair in a curl,

She looks so much like a girly-girl.

But as Monday comes, lose or win,

We'll have our tomboy back again.

Rough and ready and rearing to go,

She conquers the world and I love her so!