Before I really start this blog, I feel it necessary to say that not every post (as most have thus far) will be named a song title or lyric. I guess it makes sense, in a way, considering I always have approximately 1,947 songs going through my head at any given time. However, this was not the initial intent of naming each entry. I guess we’ll have to see if this trend continues.
I am writing this during "The Sound of Music" callbacks at the Franklin Performing Arts Company. There were MANY, MANY people who showed up for the initial audition and a good amount are now here for the next round of auditions. Lots of excitement. Lots of fun.
This morning, while I was lying in bed with a cold compress on my face (yes, I am still a smidge swollen – see yesterday’s post…) I was thinking about how much H and M have gained from these auditions that they have been a part of since they were 6 or so.
I remember, for their first audition, they were so nervous. They didn’t know what to expect , what to wear, what not to wear, what to do, what not to do, what to say, what not to say, where to look, where not to look. Now, a few short years later, this whole process comes as second nature to them. And I love that. They are equally as excited for every single audition. That thrills me. But the comfort level they have with the process is what thrills me the most. And the pride they feel. That's what thrills me.
It’s not easy – auditioning. It’s nerve wracking. You’re throwing yourself out there for the world to see. And more often than not, you are not what the world is looking for. But the attitude and the perspective that you go in with has the potential of helping you grow so much. Not only as a performer, but as a person. Even for H and M who are so young.
This morning, G and I had the same conversation that we’ve had with them many times. It has become old hat in our house. And yet we say these words every time.
“HAVE FUN!!”
“Do your best.”
“You know how proud of you we are, right? No matter how proud we are of you, you should be even prouder of yourself.”
“There are grown adults who would never have the confidence to do what you do in an audition. That’s amazing! No matter what you end up doing in life, the things you learn at each audition will help you.”
“Performing is so wonderful for so many reasons. Have a great time. That is what is most important.”
“You need to think about the fact that one of you may be really happy after this audition and one of you may be not quite so happy. Of course, you may be disappointed. That’s perfectly normal. That said, it is what it is. Things can’t and won’t always go your way. We learn from the goods and the bads and do the best we can. Always.”
“If one of you is thrilled about a casting and the other one of you is not, we are equally proud of both of you. You may NOT gloat. You may NOT mope. You support each other. Always.”
“At some point, and it may be today, you will get cast differently from each other. When it comes right down to it, the only way it affects our lives is that you have different rehearsal schedules for a few weeks. Otherwise, all else is the same as it always has been.”
The roll their eyes because they've heard this before. I think they roll their eyes more so because they know they will hear it ... again ... and again ... and again ...
When it comes to parenting, there is surely no handbook. We do the best we can. And we hope that we do it well.
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