This past weekend was by far, among my biggest parenting challenges yet. Two of our daughters tried out for the school musical, one got a spot in the ensemble (read chorus) and the other the part of narrarator. The "other" one had tried out for the female lead and didn't get it. I will be straight up, she absolutely should have gotten it, hands down was the better choice. While I'm very sad for her that her little spirit was crushed, I also firmly believe rejection is great for you no matter how much it hurts. I didn't expect it to be so heart-crushing for me to watch my little sparrow's wings clipped. I also wasn't prepared for all the frickin' drama connected to it. The insane roller coaster of emotions the weekend required. Tried food, ice skating AND shopping to salve the wound. Yeah, as you can imagine, didn't quite cut it. Tried lots of sage advice, etc., wasn't effective enough as it was coming from ME. This part of parenting, really, really bites. I did not sign up for THIS!
On a much happier note, I started playing Words with Friends today - fun, addicting, and distracting, two of those three things I did NOT need in my life. :) I also downloaded (paid $5 for) a Louis C.K. special and it was FANTASTIC! Thanks Louis for making me REALLY laugh.
Hope your day is more productive than mine was and thanks for stopping by!!
So, as you evaluate this situation, did you help or hinder her to learn self-control and how to handle disappointment with dignity and grace?
ReplyDeleteWell after the seemingly "requisite" attempts at distraction/consolation, it's my opinion that I helped. As disappointed as I was for her, I continued to (and still do) hold the position that the final decision was final; didn't matter if any of us agreed with it. She's bounced back (I won't say completely) but it's all very good for her. She needed the reality check. I've seen her come around pretty quickly as I suspected she might. There's more to the circumstances in that the person serving as musical director is not a good choice and let's just say there is a lot more to the story. Bottom line, she seems to have dusted herself off and we are moving ahead. I certainly didn't rant, rail, get mad, or have a fit at anyone in charge.
ReplyDeleteJust a warm up for that umbilical cord for when the BIG stuff happens.
Delete