Lessons From My Childhood

I'm watching a documentary on Netflix called First Position, and it's all about young dancers trying to win the Youth America Grand Prix, and a chance for serious scholarship money and job contracts. They spend hours and hours every week training as classical ballet dancers, giving up other, more traditional childhood activities. They do it because they love it. They do it because their passion runs deeper than anything they've ever known, even at their young age. They do it because, as a dancer, there is nothing more energizing and spectacular than being on that stage. The lights, the enthusiasm from the audience, the opportunity to perform in front of lots of people... it's all so incredibly thrilling. The more make-up and hairspray, the better. The more sequins on your costume, the better.

These kids are incredibly hard on themselves... more than likely, harder on themselves than anyone else could ever even attempt. They are like any other elite athlete (and before you begin to question my use of "athlete" here, you just try to do some of what they can do, and then let me know what you think). Some adults will criticize the lengths parents will go to give kids amazing opportunities, but I don't. Some say these kids will never appreciate their childhoods, but I beg to differ. It may take them years, but every kid eventually turns into a reflective adult. Slowly but surely, little things will happen here and there that will add up over time, and soon enough, reflective adults in their 30s will begin to see the light. The bright, neon light that shouts: "You are who you are because of your childhood, so thank your parents."

I know this because it's been happening to me. I've come to realize I am who I am because of the opportunities I had, or didn't have, as a child. Here's some of the things I appreciate about my childhood.

1. Summer vacations with my family taught me how to laugh and have fun, even when the situation might cause you to want to pull your hair out. Our family vacations were more like adventures, because my parents were often spontaneous and open to doing things off the beaten path. And, because we often had a case of bad luck, because it was never a family vacation without something crazy or ridiculous happening. We've driven from Maine to Florida to Washington to California, and everywhere in between. We've survived near-tornadoes in our pop-up camper in New Mexico, strange midnight truck stops to fix the oil in our mini-van in Pennsylvania, charging deer on Mt. Rainier in Washington (no, I'm not kidding), and bubble-gum in my brother's hair while trying to figure out how to back out 8 miles of a single-lane dirt road in the middle of the forest in Oregon with our camper attached to the mini-van. Now, as an adult, I love to explore, and cultivate my sense of adventure. I can laugh when things go wrong in the field, and have lots of "favorite places" around the country.

2. My dancing days taught me that even when you work hard, some things just aren't meant to be. I loved to dance, but I was never going to be a famous ballerina because my body just wasn't going to allow it, no matter how hard I worked or stretched. I'm 5'2", and have ridiculously tight muscles. The best ballerinas are tall, lanky, and spawned by Gumby. I was, however, a good tap dancer. I learned quick, and could move my tiny little feet fast enough to make a hell of a lot of noise with metal attached to my shoes. I didn't realize it then, but those experiences ultimately taught me how to fail. It would take me years and years to understand this, but in an odd way, they did. My dancing days also taught me creativity, how to express myself, and how to appreciate the arts. They also gave me a deeper appreciation for how much my parents gave up so I could do those things as a child. I loved my childhood, and for that, I'm forever grateful to my parents.

3. Small-town life is my favorite kind of life. I grew up in a tiny town in the heart of Central Texas, one with only a blinking red light at the time. Some of my teachers taught my friends' parents in grade school. I went to school with the same kids from first grade until high school (I would have been with them K-12, but I went to a different school for kindergarten and moved right before senior year). We all grew up together, literally. Families took care of each other. One person's sadness was everyone's sadness. One family's happiness was everyone's happiness. We looked out for each other, and epitomized the idea that it takes a village to raise a child. At sporting events, the whole community was there for support. In my little neighborhood, we all played together like siblings. It was great. It taught me the importance of community, of friendship, of the little things in life that really matter.

There are several more, but these few stick out at the moment so I thought I'd write about them for my first blog. What about you, readers, what parts of your childhood have contributed to who you are as an adult?