|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
||
HOMEBOOKMARKNEWSLETTERJoin our newsletter to receive news of offers and discountsSearch
AS FEATURED IN...Lucy Siegle On Eithical Living: Sunday March 5, 2006 The Observer
Navigation 3 Wheeler Twins And Tripples
3 Wheelers
9 Months To 11 Years
9 Months To 4 Years
Baby Bags
Bath And Changing Units
Bedding
Birth To 12 Months
Birth To 4 Years
Boori
Buggies
Buggy Accessories
Buggy Boards
Cot Accessories
Cots
Cribs
Grobags Sleeping Bags
Heritage Range
Highchairs
Monitors
Moses Baskets
Nappies
Nursing Chairs
Portable Highchairs
Rocking Horses
Starter Beds
Tandems
Travel Cots
Travel Systems
Twins
Walkers
Parening Books |
The Muffed Dance
Teri was 5. As younger siblings do, she looked up to her older sister, the dancer, in a big way. Sara was 4 years older and was excelling in ballet, tap and jazz. So we enrolled Teri in the same dance school and she really seemed to enjoy the lessons and her new friends. She was now, of course, a dancer, like her sister. And Teri very much looked forward to the climax of her first dance season, the year-end dance recital this school put on. If you've ever been a dance parent, you of course realize that the obligation is quite large. Aside from the weekly lessons, scheduled on different days in our case, there is the extra investment of time and money preparing for the 'big event' - extra lessons and rehearsals, fittings for the completely different head-to-toe costume required for each dance number and a parents meeting for each dancer to make sure everyone was on the same stage come recital night. Baseball parents have it easy! As fate would have it, Teri had surgery to lengthen her heel cord a few weeks prior to her dancing debut. But that didn't stop her from lugging around the heavy cast trying keep up with the other performers. That's my girl! The big night arrives and in a flurry of hurried activity, we deliver our girls backstage complete with special hair do's and a full coat of stage war paint and we take our seats in the auditorium. The place darkens, the curtain rises and the show begins with the performances of some of the advanced students. They beam with pride showing off the stuff they had worked so hard on all year long. Two of Sara's dances were slated and as always, she didn't miss a step. Then, to the "ahhhh, aren't they cute"'s of the packed house, the curtain lifts to reveal Teri's class of little tykes all in a line looking nervously around under the bright lights. At one end of the line was Teri, with her bulky cast in plain view and her hands tucked in the white muff in the starting position for "the Muff Dance." The moment arrived and music started. Teri didn't. She just stood there, still as a statue, while her friends slipped into their well- rehearsed routine. Was she nervous? Did she forget her steps? Did her foot hurt? Then, as if on cue, she gracefully took her left hand out of the muff and raised it to her face, inserted her index finger into her nostril and with the precision of a Texas oil driller, began a full-scale exploration of the orifice that seemingly wouldn't conclude until she hit paydirt! That's my girl! Needless to say, the place erupted into hysterical laughter that overrode the loud music. I began to slither down in my seat trying not to be among the majority who were splitting a gut at the spectacle and add to the embarrassment that Teri must have been beginning to feel. Suddenly, as if it finally registered that the non-relenting roar of laughter was directed at her, she ran off the stage. I was already hustling out of the theatre to the backstage area in anticipation of having to do some creative parenting and intense consolation. With a lot of tear drying and a little coaxing I managed to convince my little dancer to "get on with the show", where she performed the rest of her numbers, without using her fingers. The next year, she played tee ball. © Rick Beneteau Rick is co-creator of the breakthrough Make Every Day A Great Day Program. Read the powerful, life-changing testimonials and discover how this revolutionary product can dramatically change Your Life too!: http://www.MakeEveryDayAGreatDay.com/yes
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Turn off the TV -- and Turn on to Physical Activity! Imagine having no television for an entire season. Such was the case for a friend, whose mother hauled the appliance right out of the house at the start of every summer. Goal Setting for Kids Goal setting is essential for building a successful life. However, teaching kids how to set and achieve goals is not part of most school curriculums, nor is it taught in most homes. The 5 Babysitter Commandments Having a babysitter take care of your kids is sometimes a dangerous thing to do because the babysitter is the person that will be alone with your kid. Here are some ideas about your relationship with the babysitter. Childs Play: Treating The Insanity of the Mental Health System In today's mental health system there is a pattern of fraud and coercion that takes way the freedoms and dignity of children and their families. Children are receiving stigmatizing labels and being prescribed psychotropic drugs with many untoward effects. Who Are You When the Professional In You Meets Baby? Are you a professional?Notice how the questions differs from, "Do you have a profession?"To enter a profession, you invested an enormous amount of time, energy and money. Then you put great effort into earning the respect of clients and colleagues. Beginning the Special Education Process Like anything else in life, there's a method to the special education process. It was put in place to help people who deal with learning disabilities get the best services possible. Will My Child Ever Out-grow His Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? If your child has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder then at some point you will be asking the question, "Will my child ever outgrow it?" Well, there is good news, and not so good news, when it comes to the answer. Studies indicate that about half of those with ADHD will outgrow many of the symptoms of the disorder by the time he or she is in their 20's. 5 Simple Steps Guaranteed To Allow You To Spend More Time With Your Children This Summer Look around: Your kids are counting sleeps until the last day of school, the local outdoor swimming pool is open, and the temperature has sky-rocketed. Summer is here! Are you still stuck in your winter routine? The one filled with rushing around to after school programs, play dates and endless birthday parties. Top 10 Things To Never Believe From Your Teenager 1) It's not my (pot, beer, cigarettes, etc.), I'm just keeping it for someone else. Games Of The Past Meet The Present Recently, our family had the opportunity to care for sisters' children for a couple days, when she and her husband traveled to a bed and breakfast for some much need rest and relaxation. They don't have a chance to get away that often, so I was more than happy to help them out for this little getaway. Single Mother Sanity Savers Pt. 1 Being a single mother is no easy task. I know. Mommy, I Can't Sleep! Sleep Disturbance in Children "Just turn the lights off and go to sleep"Do you find yourself saying this to your child? Well, you're not alone!! Sleep problems are some of the most common problems parents face with their children. Some parents struggle with getting their child to sleep through the night. Potty Training Battle of the Wills Some children practically potty train themselves, while others struggle and resist against the potty. Potty training should never turn into the battle of the wills. How to End the Misery of Bedwetting When a child wets the bed they worry. Children tend to become dry during the day more easily than at night. THE NEW SCHOOL VISIT: 5 Things to Look For Today the little red school house is not what it use to be, and along with changes in how our schools are funded, how they are governed, how teachers teach and how children learn, it's no surprise that many large urban school districts and smaller rural ones are undergoing major modifications. Parents are bombarded with advice from every media venue telling them to look at private education, consider a religious environment, and reminding them that "choice" or charter schools are the way to go. Kids: Channeling Mania Towards Productivity More and more kids these days are diagnosed ADD, ADHD, or Bipolar. There are biological reasons for this, and there are environmental elements which can soothe or aggravate the symptoms. Parents Dealing with Worry and Fear Dear Vijay,I worry about not being a good parent. My daughter Tracy is six and my son Michael is four. 3 Rules to Making TeensTechnology Work For You Isn't the technology of today is amazing?! Between the speed of Instant Messengers~ or IM'ing, the convince of cell phones, parenting has come a long way from when parents had to make three or four phone calls to track down their TWeen for the simplest request "Bring home some milk?" to the infamous, "Your late, couldn't you have called?"These scenario's from not so long ago have all but died out with today's many wireless communication devices. No sooner does a new device come out,our kids seem to have it down These mini-adults who can't seem to remember to take out the trash or keep their rooms clean, yet have the intelligence and focus to create secret languages and codes around these devices. Help! My Kids Dont Listen to Me Does this sound familiar? Have your kids not listened to you when you wanted them to? This is one of the most common issues that parents bring to me seeking help and support. Parents tell me that instead of listening to them, their kids sometimes ignore them, walk away, don't do what they are told, laugh at them, turn up the radio or TV, talk back to them or give them the silent treatment. Spare the Child, Ditch the Rod Spare the rod, spoil the child!This philosophy's been around a long time.In fact, a study done by Zero to Three, a nonprofit child-development group, found that 61 percent of the adults who responded, condone spanking as a regular form of punishment.
|
