The enforced social distancing because of COVID-19 has been tough for absolutely everyone. But it is especially tough to think about the students who are going through this time right now. Seniors in college were due to graduate this month but instead, they did it virtually. High school seniors graduated alone and missed out on all the wonderful things like prom. Younger children are also suffering quite a lot, as they are confused, stuck at home, and miss their friends as well as their social activities.
This is the time when children should be embracing their passions and shaping themselves as human beings. Things like dance recitals, after-school sports, and other activities are all taken away. And itโs tough for their parents to watch.
โToday should have been the day of my daughterโs dance recital. But instead of waking up early to apply her makeup and put her hair into a dancerโs bun, I lay in bed thinking about all the things we have missed out on this spring season,โ Massachusetts dance mom Adrienne Anzelmo wrote via Love What Matters.
โI considered all the ways our childrenโs identities have been stripped from them in the blink of an eye and the many things they were forced to leave undone. My daughter who has not been herself in weeks could have chosen to stay home and mope but instead, she and her friends decided to make the most of todayโฆbut that is not really where this story begins,โ Anzelmo continued.
Her first dance recital took place 7 years ago. As they arrived at the performing art center, Anzelmo felt overwhelmed and underprepared. She also got a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes work of all the dancers. Costume racks, bags and makeup everywhere, etc. Dancers of all ages preparing their moves โ in the zone with ear buds in.
โI was in awe by it all and wondered if my daughter would hang on to the sport long enough to be engulfed in the culture I saw before me,โ the mom said.
โFast forward seven years and here we are. I have a backpack filled with bobby pins and aqua net hair spray. I am no longer overwhelmed or underprepared as a dance mom. I also now see the same spirit in my daughter and her friends that I saw in those older dancers all those years ago. They are true performers, focused, disciplined, and alive in a new way each time they take the stage,โ she continued.
Now, her little dancing girls had the opportunity to share what dancing means to them โ while all standing 6-feet apart, of course. Instead of staying home and feeling down about a canceled recital, they got back up on their feet and paid respect to their studio, teachers, and the sport itself.
They did this by writing sweet messages on the outside of the studio with chalk and taking lots of happy photos.
โOn recital day 2020, I hope my daughter and her friends take from this the importance of celebrating the things that matter most. I hope they remember to always look for the silver lining. These girls grabbed their costumes today and danced their way through the day regardless of the hand they were dealt with. This felt like a lesson we could all learn from right now,โ the mom concluded.
If this story doesnโt fill you up with hope, weโre not sure what will!
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