Laughing, oh don’t even get her started! Nothing thrills Ellie’s soul like making others laugh and smile. This little ham loves to entertain. Easy to see why her dream is to be on Broadway (though her literal nature sees the struggle monetarily that may ensue). Singing, dancing, and acting seep from every fiber of her being, and honestly, as her momma some days it can be a little much…causing me to beg for a moment of silence. This tickles my mom, because apparently I was the same little thespian handful in my younger years.
Reigning in Ellie’s love of the stage in a triple threat capacity has given rise to quite the challenge for us. Where and how do you fit it all in???? Competitive dance had been Ellie’s “thing” for five years, but with her increasing zeal for singing and theater, this created a quandary. Which love takes precedence, or how do you balance all three equally?
So a great struggle arose and created many a sleepless night for this (gulp….do I dare say it?) Stage mom. Compromise won out over equality for some time. As parents we had to look at it from all angles and make some tough decisions. This of course lead to mommy and daddy butting heads on more than one occasion. Consensus being: slowly decrease the abundance of dance, while keeping involved and ramping up the theater involvement and vocal training. Molding Ellie into the cliche triple threat, while allowing her to see all the world as her stage and us in it as her audience.
Fast forward a year and a half later, Ellie has fallen madly in love with theatre and music. I swear she sings from the time her eyes see the first ray of light in the morn til her head is finally nestled on her pillow at night. I would venture to bet her dreams are filled with all things song and dance, too. Cue the kickline. The growth, the work ethic I have seen blossom in this child astonishes me. Such a sweet “old soul” in a 12 year old’s body. Never once has she complained of the early mornings or the late nights. No, that complaining is probably mom as she climbs into her “taxi” and puts a few more miles under her belt. But you know, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
