Who Will She Be?
How Can We Help Her Be That
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what, if anything, that we facilitate for Little Bean will actually stick. And by that I mean, she has interests and hobbies. There are things she loves to do and partake in. Rock collecting. Music. Crafting.
On Saturday, two moments stood out - Little Bean asked me to take her to, of all places, Joann Fabrics. She needed to get styrofoam balls, felt and butterflies for a project she was working on. What nine year old loves Joanne Fabrics?
The second thing that happened is Little Bean received an amazing swag box in the mail from the Canadian teen rock and roll band, Freeze the Fall. They even wrote her a personalized note. She wore the t-shirt they sent her all day!
Music and crafts. The key here is to not push her, but rather figure out what she enjoys and engage her. At least we think that’s how it works. Really, who knows.
It occurred to me recently that one of the reasons she loves going to live shows with me is because she just likes going to live shows with ME. As do I with her. Which I’d do all day, every day if I could.
Will she be a concert pianist? Will she be a modern artist? Will she be a geologist? I mean, if we’re to be honest, life is stacked against her becoming those things.
So, maybe the strategy is just to enjoy what we can. Enjoy what we can together. Learn together. Listen to the new Freeze the Fall song together. Make that bottle buddy craft together. Put the time in and hope for the best. Be there. Stay present.
Meantime, next time we go to Joanne Fabrics, we’re going to look for just the perfect frame to put her note from the band, and we’re going to watch and wait and when that band comes close to us, we’re gonna go on a road trip - and life will move fast, and be interesting and we’ll be together and ultimately it won’t matter what we’re doing.
She’ll decide who she’ll be, and I’ll be there for it
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Tell Little Bean I LOVE her new hair color and style! She looks fabulous!
Dan, I love what you wrote! As parents, we never know how our kids will be as adults, but if we're open to letting them explore who they are, then hopefully they'll figure things out. You do an amazing job with Little Bean and through your eyes, it's such fun watching her grow. Thanks!