Who knew grocery shopping could be so entertaining? My excursion was just another ordinary trip picking up a few items.
But there they were, east of the produce department, north of the checkout lines. A group of school children from Madison Place Elementary School, all dressed in their black and white concert finery, serenading shoppers with Christmas songs.
The usual ones were present and accounted for. You know who I mean—the child that had no desire to participate. That musical youngster that really got into it, practically dancing as he sang. The shy little girl that was clearly out of her comfort zone ‘performing’—bashfully peeking out at her parents grinning from ear-to-ear with enthusiastic support.
Not to mention shoppers like myself, that set their grocery list aside and stood with half-filled carts, taking delight in the pint-size concert we walked in on. The experience brings back memories when my husband, Dave, and I attended the countless performances our three children took part in so long ago. I don’t think we ever missed one.
I was clueless at the time—how beneficial those performances were. Standing in front of an audience with all eyes upon you can make a person of any age self-conscious. The local schools provide that experience to complement what parents aim for. Introducing a variety of things helps a child pinpoint what brings joy and fulfillment. Variety is the spice of life.
My unmarried, childless aunt questioned me about that. She could not fathom putting children through activities that were over and above school, church and play times. If taken to an excess I am in agreement—children don’t need every minute of the day programmed. Free time is beneficial in helping a child dive into a good book, develop an imagination and learn time management.
Between my three children, they participated in a variety of extracurricular activities. But were given one activity at a time. Multiply that by how many children one has and that can add up to a lot of ‘programmed’ time for mom and dad to chauffer them to and from—not counting attending their performances.
I am not complaining. I consider those years as an investment in their adulthood. Not all parents have that option. As I look back on those years I see where their interests took them. My children are no longer children—but playing Legos developed an interest in engineering. Those guitar lessons developed an appreciation for music.
The school of hard knocks brought an unplanned baby. Patience through countless years of daycare—proving herself being a better mom than I. Dance lessons brought poise and the know-how to create dance steps for a classful of girls. Working with them led to experience gained in how to get along with customers.
Can you see it too? Childhood experiences can lead to great things in adulthood.
What childhood experiences have you had that led to where you are today?
One Day Wonders with JBK 