Can I brag about my daughter?

I'm so proud of Kenzie.

Don't know if anyone is aware, but she's been taking tap dancing lessons since August of last year. She's never had any dance instruction prior, and not seeing any real interest in dance previously, I wondered if she would like it when I signed her up.

Here we are just 3 days from her recital date and I just have to say I am extremely proud of how she has taken to the lessons. She once watched some older girls dancing a complicated routine, and she got so excited and fired up. I asked her if she wanted to dance like that someday and she said yes. So I told her that those kids didn't get good at their dance routine by doing it once a week for a half hour at the dance studio... they practiced their steps at home as well. And if she ever wanted to dance like that, she needed to start practicing her dance steps now.

Well, it took a little effort (especially on Mama's part - since I had to do it with her) but we began practicing, and she began getting better and better. When she was noticeably having difficulty with a step, I'd walk her through it slowly, having her copy me, then make her repeat it a few times until I think she was getting the idea. The difference was noticeable after about 3 weeks of practicing the dance three times a night twice a week.

Last night, all the girls were dressed in their uniforms for pictures and a practice session. They did the dance once with the instructor, and then they did it without the instructor.

Kenzie's hard work paid off. Kenzie just kept dancing no matter what. When the other kids faltered, Kenzie would do the next step and they'd follow along. She knew the steps, kept with the music, and I was so happy at that moment. (Ok, maybe a small part of me is living vicariously through my daughter with this dance stuff, because my first passion in life was dancing... ) One of the instructors who knows my husband well went up to Kenzie and told her how impressed she was with her dancing. She asked Kenzie if she practiced, and Kenzie nodded her head. She told Kenzie it showed - that she was really good at her dance.

I was so happy that the instructor said that to Kenzie. It will give her incentive to work hard when she does this again. I hope she gets as much joy out of dancing the way I used to when I was younger. She says she wants to continue.

Hopefully, I will be posting a YouTube video of her recital very soon.