All the World's a Stage!

I truly was in denial regarding the way I've been raising my kids. I honestly thought I'd raised them without a bias toward performing. They both took dance classes when they were little, but only because they wanted to (No, really!). I cringed through ballet and tap shoe fittings and reluctantly suffered a recital or two. When they showed interest in other things I thankfully encouraged them to drop the dance classes and pursue other interests.

I thought I'd given them a fair chance at considering other professions.

We're currently deciding on University applications for my seventeen year old boy (terrifying!) and he's adamant that he's majoring in Theater Studies. When he graduates he's going to be an actor. Of course he is, fantastic! My daughter, almost 13, wants to be many things but high on the list is "Broadway Performer" bloody marvelous!

When I asked them how this could possibly have happened seeing as I'd never pushed them to perform, they reminded me of a few of my parenting quirks...

Any time we're planning to leave the house to go do something and time is of the essence I give them a fifteen minute call, a five minute call, and a "Places"

I use five, six, seven, eight, to cue them into action...a lot!

I applaud...a lot!

I've always covered their Halloween costumes in sequins

They can't remember a day that they didn't know what jazz hands were

When I give directions I use stage right and stage left

I've been known to yell "Point your feet" at many a cartwheeling kid

They've spent most of their childhood in Las Vegas and now live five minutes from Hollywood

and...I stretched them as babies...just in case!

What? Doesn't everyone do that?

So yes, I've been in denial all these years, I'd been subliminally moulding my babes for the stage while keeping them off it. Perhaps if I'd dragged them screaming to ballet class they would have run a mile in the other direction?

Either way, they both just seem to be born to perform.

Here we go up another VERY steep and INCREDIBLY narrow stairway!