"Go on up," I urged Alexis. Her dance teacher was calling her class to the stage, but Alexis was swimming in her usual nonstop stream of chatter and didn't hear the words. Once she realized it was her turn to rehearse one last time before The Big Show, she quickly ran to the front of the auditorium and plopped down on the floor, just as she had been instructed.
No hesitation.
No second thoughts.
She just did as she was told to do.
It took me a second to realize the gravity of the situation.
Three years ago I enrolled Alexis in a "Mommy and Me" gymnastics class because she was terribly shy. She was so frequently crippled by her shyness that the issue couldn't be ignored. It didn't seem like the sort of thing she would just outgrow, so we opted to try to slowly help her gain some confidence by putting her in uncomfortable, but safe, situations.
First it was the "Mommy and Me" class, and then a year later she asked to take a regular gymnastics and dance class. That class was with the same teacher, the same students, and in the same room, so it was all very familiar. Baby steps towards independence. There were bumps along the way, but slowly she learned to go into the classroom by herself. Slowly she learned to be confident in her fun. Slowly she figured out how to take that shyness and shove it in her pocket.
And now she's at a "real" dance studio, taking "real" lessons, and preparing to perform in her first "real" recital.
And she's completely confident going into it.
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The March of Dimes March for Babies is important to me, but there is absolutely no way I'm going to miss that first real recital this weekend. The two events happen to be scheduled at the same time, so I've graciously bowed out of the March for Babies this year.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't matter.
If you're one of those people who believe in giving babies a chance to dance with confidence, perhaps you'll consider donating a buck or two to my friend Doug's team? It would mean a lot to everyone who has met his two little men as they are only here today because of the amazing work of the March of Dimes.