Saying Yes and Meaning It
My nine-year-old daughter asked the most awesome question the other day, “Mom, if ABBA ever comes to Colorado can we go see them?” I thought about it and answered with a resounding, “Yes!” And, I meant it.
She discovered ABBA when she was looking for background music for a jump rope routine in the school talent show last year. She selected “Dancing Queen” and throughout her rehearsals learned all of the words to that, and many other songs on the album. Recently she’s downloaded the whole album to her iPod and listens to it almost constantly.
Sharing these types of events is something I’ve been looking forward to as a parent, and watching her interests develop into something we can share is a far cry from the first concert we attended, The Wiggles. Now, I do like The Wiggles and they have provided hours of entertainment at our nightly dance parties. However, ABBA is a giant step forward!
Shortly after we bought our house near an airport that houses a company providing steady skydiving business directly over our neighborhood, my daughter asked if she could go skydiving. That’s right, at the young age of 3 she was ready to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. After a quick, reassuring phone call we discovered that a parent is not allowed to send their child catapulting out of a perfectly good airplane, probably for many reasons. Right then, she decided that when she’s 18, and free from our rules, she would like to go skydiving. I told her this sounds like a wonderful high school graduation/off to college gift, and we made a family pact to go together; and I meant it.
I learned early on that it’s okay as a parent to think before I answer, and even to say, “I need time to think about that” as a short term answer to any question the kids ask. Of course there was a learning curve to this process, and many poor decisions were made in the process. But, I’ve learned with major events like skydiving that I mean what I say, and as long as I’m physically able, I’ll absolutely take her skydiving when she’s old enough. I might show other signs of old age on the way out of the plane, but I’m sure the wind suits are washable.
Someone once asked me why I wanted to have kids, and I didn’t have a specific answer, other than that I liked other peoples’ kids, and it was something I always knew I wanted to do. I think watching their interests and goals align with mine, is probably one of the most rewarding things about being a parent. And ABBA, please reunite and play a show in Colorado!
