I think most parents can relate – kids are fun. Kids are challenging. Kids will SURPRISE YOU. Before we have kids (and even when our kids are babies), we have a picture of what our kids will be. Our good (often misguided) intentions run ramped.
I have two daughters. I imagined we’d take piano lessons and voice lessons together and become talented musicians. Why? Because I didn’t have the discipline to take piano lessons as a child and regretted it in my adulthood. I was also always super-jealous of my talented dad’s and brothers’ singing voices. So, naturally, I assumed my kids would love the opportunity to expand their talents and overcome MY shortcomings.
WRONG. They love to sing – but have no interest in music lessons of any kind. None.
My daughters, the non-piano players.
MY OLDEST
Instead of music, at six Kiki expressed interest in taking ballet lessons. I was super stoked imagining how cute she’d look in a tutu and ballet slippers.
Meet my oldest daughter, the ballerina.
NOPE.
We watched the cute little ballerinas for about five minutes, she decided it was boring, and we moved on. She wanted to do something with a little more action. We drove about ten minutes down the road and invaded a martial arts studio so we could watch the students throw kicks and hand chops. She fell in love with it.
My daughter, the Taekwondo master.
Kiki LOVED Taekwondo. Loved it. We went three times a week. She sparred with adults and at one point got a black eye she was super proud of. Gold belt, orange belt, blue belt …. All the way up to brown belt. But once she reached brown belt, her passion for it sort of fizzled. She took a break from extracurricular activities. Instead, she loved leisure time with the family. Movie-and-junk-food nights were a hit.
My daughter, the ex-Taekwondo master.
In fifth grade we asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She said she planned to marry a doctor with a British accent. Very specific. When prompted for a “backup plan” in case she didn’t end up with this magnificent stranger she imagined for her future, she proudly stated that he didn’t have to have a British accent.
My daughter, the future wife of a doctor with a British accent.
By sixth grade, Kiki embraced softball (her latest passion). She has zero fear of the ball and LOVES to be in the action (making shortstop her favorite position). The girl is coordinated (something I’m pleased to see since her mama has zero coordination).
My daughter, the softball player.
MY YOUNGEST
Bella has taken a different route. We encouraged sports, but so far she is not interested. “What about soccer?” I suggested at one point; to which she let me know that soccer would not be possible because the socks looked uncomfortable. To her, it’s all about comfort.
Meet my youngest daughter, the non-sports person.
She tried her hand at acting. This option seemed perfect (she is a drama-queen after all). I put her in an acting class. This lasted exactly one lesson. Too structured (her thoughts). Apparently, she wants to make up her own script. In hindsight, I should have seen this coming.
My daughter, the retired actress.
She has found a passion for swimming. She swims like a fish and would spend all day in the water if you’d let her. She seems to enjoy activities that she can do on her own rather than as part of a team, so swimming fits her.
My daughter, the solo swimmer.
Like her big sister, Bella thinks about what she wants to do when she grows up. In second grade she stressed about whether to become a dentist or an art teacher. She decided on both. Monday and Tuesday she would be teacher and Wednesday through Friday she would be a dentist. Problem solved.
My daughter, the dentist “slash” art teacher.
Bella’s latest interest is gymnastics. We go once a week. She loves to do cartwheels and practice on the balance beam. At home she regularly performs what she’s learned in class. So far, we’ve found something that’s stuck.
My daughter, the gymnast.
CURRENT DAY
Kiki has decided that, while she will still marry that doctor with the fabulous British accent should he come along, she is going to be a doctor herself. An anesthesiologist to be specific.
Bella wants to be an artist. She loves to draw and paint and just be creative. She spends hours in her room drawing on her white board or doing other artistic projects.
My daughters, the future artist and future anesthesiologist (I get the feeling one may have to support the other if this holds true).
I love that my daughters don’t consider limitations. I love that they dream big and change their minds on a whim. They refuse to be defined by a singular thing.
Meet my daughters. They’re perfect in their own way and can be whatever they want to be. They’re not what I expected. They’re so much more.