One of the many things about parenthood that I never would have guessed before the children started sprouting around here is that each child is a different experience. For most of you this is probably obvious, but for some reason it came as a surprise to me. I always felt like the children Leslie and I would bring into the world would all have the same personalities, interests, abilities, preferences, and passions.
Now I know better. As Exhibit A and B, I give you Alison and Kate. Alison loves basketball, not ballet. Her favorite color has never been pink. I have never seen her in a frilly dress.
Kate, on the other hand, could not be more different. Kate loves princesses and fairy tales and all things girly. She doesn't run as much as she dances, and she loves when her grandmother braids her hair.
For the longest time she has been asking to take a ballet class, perhaps motivated by one of her favorite literary characters, Angelina Ballerina. Leslie finally signed her up for a class a few weeks ago, and last Thursday we took Kate shopping to buy a ballet outfit. We came home from the store just before dinner time and thought it would be a good idea for Kate to try on the tights and leotard, just to be sure that they fit.
Was she excited about her new ballet clothes? She wore them for four days straight, even wearing them to bed as pajamas. We finally convinced her to go back to normal clothes on Monday, but the damage had been done. The tights have runs in them, and the leotard looks ragged enough that it will also have to be replaced before her class starts next week.
But I can't complain. This is a young girl who has found her bliss.
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