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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

And The Mother of the Year Award Goes to... Not Me


My daughter, Samantha, is a ballerina. I don't mean she wants to be one when she grows up (she does of course) but she is one now. She's been dancing, training and studying ballet with the Sacramento Academy of Dance since she was four years old. She's now 11 (and a half), has tested and passed with high marks twice and has performed in fifteen shows. In addition to her success with the studio she has performed self choreographed solos for her school and church. Samantha is a ballerina.




I'm not sure where she first learned, heard about or saw ballet but when she was two she told me she wanted to be a ballerina. We talked about it and agreed that if she still wanted to learn when she turned three then we would find a class and sign her up. I foolishly thought she would forget about  this request over the course of the year but when I woke her up on her third birthday the first thing she did was ask when she would start ballet class. And I got started researching ballet classes.


I went to our local dance shop and asked about classes. They had a list of schools and classes that was a few pages long. It was a little overwhelming. Thankfully the woman working the counter had a few suggestions that helped me decide on the Sacramento Academy of dance. I called the following Monday and spoke to the director/owner of the school, Janelle Sebren. She said she didn't enroll kids younger than four year old but suggested other activities before stating dance the following year. Sami was disappointed that she couldn't start ballet right away but Jeremy and I were a little reveled that we still had another year before  the official dancing began.


The day Samantha turned four she again asked when she would start dancing. I told her she had to wait a little longer because the new semester didn't start until September (she's a June baby). Before we knew it, it was September and we were out shopping for her first pair of ballet slippers, leotards, tights, pretty ballerina skirts and a pretty ballet bag to hold them all.

Miss Tia was Sami's teacher for the first few years. She was a great teacher and worked really well with the younger kids and they all loved her. Samantha was the smallest girl in the class and she had a ton of fun from the moment class started till they were released into the hall. Once that door opened after class it was like a loud, low pink cloud of glitter and giggles coming right at you.

Over the years Samantha's passion for ballet grew and grew and so did she. Just guess what was at the top of her Christmas list this year? A free standing ballet barre and a new ballet bag. She got both. Now she plans on becoming a professional dancer and is already looking at the different dance programs offered at different colleges.


Months ago (I think it was October), Sami was racing a bunch of her school friends on wet grass and ended up slipping and fell. She hurt her foot and had a hard time walking for a few days but seemed fine. Every now and then she would complain about some foot pain but it was hit or miss. Finally we made an appointment with her doctor thinking she had a bone spur (it's pretty common for dancers to develop them). The x-rays showed, however, that there was a break in her foot. She had been walking, running and dancing on a broken foot for months... Yep, it's only February and I have already been eliminated from the mother of the year award.


Sami now has a bright pink cast for the next five weeks. At that point she'll get have new x-rays done and if the break isn't healing they will try "bone stimulation" (I have no idea what that is but it sounds a little Harry Potter-ish) and as a last resort, surgery. Poor Sami. The worst, in her opinion, is the time off from dancing she's being forced to take. She still wants to go to her classes to observe. That's how passionate she is about her art.    
    


In other Tuesday news, I again made it to my body pump class and enjoyed Biggest Loser with the kids before going to bed. I then spent the night tossing and turning. I think guilt over not taking Sami's foot injury more seriously and getting her into see the doc sooner is what caused such an awful night's sleep. Of course it could be a combination of Sami and the dog form Monday night. Forgive me if I'm not overly excited to see what Wednesday brings.


1 comment:

Rebecca said...

Oh my dearest Anna you are still top of the list for mother of the year award. The passion and joy and things you do for your kids and others that aren't yours is more then most people do fit themselves. Sami is a trooper and as "quick" as it broke. Lol. It will heal. Sorry I had to say that cause I love you. I went months without knowing my son was almost deaf. I chalked it up just like you did.