This was a week of letting go and trusting in what was in front of me...and that was my girls.
Irish dance performances are exciting and exhausting at the same time. It is a lot of rushing and wondering if you will make it to the next show on time, but somehow we always do!
The girls had a total of 9 shows in 4 days and we have one more left. The girls always find the energy to dance their performance piece just one more time. Our longest day, which was yesterday, measured a total of 13 hours from start to finish. Keeping 2 sisters, who have been with each other all day, happy isn't always easy. I had to remind them to please be nice to one another and also remind them that EVERYONE is tired. But to make it a little fun, it became our our "YES" day!
What does that mean? I said "YES" to practically everything. We had powdered donuts for breakfast, snacks in the car, candy hidden in my bag which we shared, we ordered rootbeer floats with our lunch, and they didn't have to take showers when they got home.
The girls thought it was pretty cool until they tried to push it into today! Today, some "no's" were said, only because you can't eat fruit snacks for every meal and you eventually have to shower.
Today, even with only 3 shows, it seemed more exhausting than yesterday. Most of us were tired before we even started performing, so during our break today the girls were treated at Build-A-Bear for how great they have been this entire week of shows! The employees tried to get a dance out of the girls, but they weren't budging. Yes, they perform in front of hundreds of people, yet they wouldn't dance for 4. Once again, we are all tired.
Then pulling into our second show of the day, my 5 year old daughter says, "I don't want to do Irish dancing anymore, I am tired of putting on the wig, it hurts my head!" Yet she tells me how she can't wait to get back to class on Tuesday!
Performing is always a positive experience for my kids. I try to sit back and let go. Putting trust in my girls to make the right choices when I am not around. They look forward to each performance because they have a chance to make new friends, share their talent with others and spend time with kids who enjoy the same things they do. In between shows they color and do crafts and laugh with one another, but best of all they gain confidence in themselves. They work together as a team to dance their performance piece and this group which they perform with becomes a second family for St. Patrick's Day week. The bond they create with the friends on their team becomes a friendship that will last a forever.
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