― Friedrich Nietzsche

Children love art. Art dominates their brains, starving the logic and reasoning side, because the world they know is abstract and opened to boundless interpretation. They see things as they could be, not only how they should be. Pants can be hats and ketchup can be finger paint and the dog can be a baby doll. That's why they love the boxes.
Once exposed to "structured" art forms, there comes a time to perform or exhibit their newly developed talents. Granted, the "talent" is raw, and may never be more than glorified mumbling, a sequined bunny hop, or a Jackson Pollock...well, wait a minute...
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My oldest daughter spent most of her ballet class admiring her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors, twirling recklessly until she ricocheted off fellow students. Her arabesques were better suited for lay-ups, and with recital rapidly approaching, I was fairly confident she would never spend therapy dollars on treatment for OCD. When all was said and done, and little ballerina buns were loosened and the last of the glitter was swept from the floor, the only thing I remember from that 3-hour marathon of dance was: her, and the part where she "messed up" was the best part of all. She mistakenly stood up to Captain Hook, even though she was not supposed to participate in the scene at all. Her four-year-old mind saw the art as reality, making her courage real and unexpected. I can't explain how proud I was to see her stand up to the "bad guy" all on her own.Years later, her school choreographed a Chinese fan dancing routine as a facet of there annual musical. Despite the memos and newsletters that come home and fall like confetti, I somehow missed the fact that she had been selected to participate. So when I arrived to see the third-grade show, before I knew it, there she stood, cloaked in red, gliding with maturity and form, ruby cloth fans clapping opened with more drama than one could imagine possible with a small company of 8-year-olds. Her munchkin face was thoughtful, but not strained, and captivated my presence like I was the only one in the room, privileged to know this beautiful child well on her way to being grander than I could have dreamed.
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This brought tears to my eyes. You captured so beautifully the feelings we share as parents for our own little superstars.
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