Mission accomplished
Last Tuesday, my eldest son sent me a video of a school competition in which one of my granddaughters was participating. The girl was competing in the ballet category, a discipline she has been practicing for just over a year.
She started ballet after refusing to continue her violin lessons. She had been playing the violin for about two years and was actually very talented at the instrument. In that short time, she was able to play very complex pieces.
When she told us her decision not to continue, we all talked to her to see if she would reconsider. But at ten years old, she was adamant that she did not want to continue playing the violin. So she started practicing ballet.
When I saw the video my son sent me, I realized that the girl had not made a mistake; she also has excellent talent for ballet. Seeing her dance with such grace, ease, and confidence moved me deeply. I was very happy for her, because that discipline will surely bring her great satisfaction in life. I was also very happy for my son; he must feel very proud that the girl is progressing so quickly in the beautiful art of dance.
But I was also happy for myself; I felt that in some way I had something to do with that achievement.
I introduced all my children to art and sports at an early age, activities that I considered very important in anyone's life.
One of the things I always enjoyed was witnessing the small and large achievements my children made in their disciplines, when they learned to swim in the pool, when they played their first notes on their instruments, when they practiced the steps of the Katas in Karate. Accompanying them in that process seemed very stimulating to me.
Then, when they grew up, each one followed their own path. Only one of them seriously devoted himself to music, and with his guitar he has been able to earn enough money to support himself in the places where he has decided to live. But each one, in their own way, continues to cultivate sports and art. The oldest, at forty-eight, continues to train to participate in open water competitions in the Venezuelan Caribbean Sea.
Now that the older ones have daughters, two girls each, I realize that my insistence did not fall on deaf ears. Both have made a point of emphasizing the importance of what they learned as children. Both have made sure that their daughters have the opportunity to explore the paths of art and sport. Three of the girls play musical instruments, one combines the viola with contemporary dance, one plays the drums, the youngest is starting the clarinet, and the middle one is the star of the video my son sent me.
In my childhood, I never had those opportunities. I lived in a very remote place, and it was not easy to get to the music schools in the city from there. However, at the end of my adolescence, I looked for a music school and attended for a while. I learned the basics and then went on my own with the guitar, but I knew that my talent there was limited. I did advance a little further in Kung Fu, which I started practicing in college and to which I dedicated many years.
Seeing my sons fulfilling their duty to the girls makes me feel very grateful. I actually feel that life has treated me well, and I feel very fortunate for that.
Thank you for your time.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version).
Logo creado por @themanualbot
Congratulations @irvinc! For the achievements of your granddaughter and the ones of your childs.
As parents the best thing we can do with our children is to open the path of opportunities for them to do what they like. My son as a child also played violin and then mandolin, until he decided to put music aside to pursue other paths. The important thing is that they feel fulfilled.
Un abrazo!
Yes, one fulfills one's duty by showing them the way, then they decide where to go. They must achieve their dreams, not yours. Thank you very much for stopping by and for your support, dear @coquicoin . A big hug from Maracay.
Hello @irvinc,
This is @coquicoin, I'm part of the Silver Bloggers’ Community Team.
Thank you for sharing your excellent post in the Silver Bloggers community! As a special "token" of appreciation for this contribution to our community, it has been upvoted, reblogged and curated.
Thank you so much.
Congratulations my friend @irvinc , for sowing in fertile soil, what a pride.
I didn't know that you were a sportsman and that you also play some guitar, that's great.
These days I play the guitar very little because my hands hurt. I have to choose between playing and writing posts; my hands can't do both. Thank you for stopping by and for your support, dear friend @soyunasantacruz . A big hug from Maracay.
If I can imagine, the same thing happens to me when I want to take the cuatro, the lack of habit is a problem. Hug received 🤗
Happy day, my dear friend.
Yes, my friend. Yes, my friend. It is very gratifying that you feel part of the achievements of your children and grandchildren. As you say, sports and the arts in general give a new dimension to people. You know, now that I read your latest reflections, I see that we share passions besides writing. I also practiced martial arts: Taekwondo, and I tore the strings of one or another Cuatro. In the end, I ended up learning some piano. As for my children, I tried to get them into these disciplines, but they didn't advance enough because they had other passions and let themselves fall into immediacy. In that sense, I admit my failure. The time available was not my ally.
A pleasure to read from you, my friend.
I think as parents, we do what we can. In the end, it's the children who have the final say. Sometimes they admit they missed opportunities, but it was their choice. Thank you for stopping by and for your thoughtful support dear @janaveda . A big hug from Maracay.