Saturday, January 17, 2009

You sound like an angel

Do you lie to your kids? I really try not to - but I think there is a line somewhere in the sand and I can't find it. DD wants to be/thinks she is a great singer. She has those little girl dreams of being a rock star - the next Miley Cyrus! However, she cannot carry a tune in a really large bucket. It is seriously bad. She got the karaoke machine for Christmas because I know it's her passion. I got her headphones so that she can do it in her room and the noise level is a little lower - but the sound you do hear is just her voice. Heavens...I don't know what to say. Then she'll come say "did you hear that?, it was great wasn't it?" I usually try to beg off that I didn't hear it - but I do go in sometimes and sing with her or listen to her. Do I just lie then? I stink at lying...really stink and my kids have called me on lies before. Do I just say - oh, you're working hard at it. That's the tack I'm taking now. However, she wants to try out for choir next year. I think it's an "everyone makes it" kind of thing - but I can't imagine putting her through that. She will get called out (think of a cat moaning lowly and then suddenly being stepped on and screeching...that's about the jist of it). I have even said things like "singing is a fun thing to do, but I love that you want to be a teacher!".
Geez...maybe I just don't have the mom gene - wouldn't most people tell her she's the greatest singer they've ever heard? Of course, her brothers have made it clear that she is NOT to sing in the car - ever! I couldn't really jump in, because it isn't fair to have to listen to it all the way to wherever.
DS2 is totally into drawing and yes, he could be good - but he chooses to simply trace pictures out of books and try to say he drew it freehand. I have called him on it and told him how well I bet he could do trying to do it freehand. I see him now, in his room, attempting to free hand. I'll make a big deal over it even if it's bad (I hope it's good) because I want to reward the effort! OK, maybe I can learn to 'lie' to my kids when it's neccessary...is that a crazy goal to set or what?

5 comments:

  1. voice lessons?

    singing in a choir will help her to be able to match pitch. i'd guess that they were private auditions just so the director could sort them into parts at her age. it shouldn't be a big humiliation. call the school and find out.

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  2. that's a really tough one. i don't think any child who has a song in their heart should be squelched. that's hard to convince two older brothers, tho.

    sorry, no good advice. if it were me tho, i WOULD let her join the choir. at some point, she'll figure it out on her own.

    maybe you can say "i love that you have a song in your heart" or "you sound very happy when you are singing".

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  3. I usually say something like, "it sure sounds like you were having fun!"

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  4. I would totally lie on this one issue. First off most people do not start out singing well and need years of formal training. There are just things that we need to arrive at on our own and I believe singing is one of them.... If it is a joyful noise to her then let it go. I think our kids are looking for us to believe in them. Look at Motley Crew for example! I think their moms must have longed for hand grenades but then again that was before they were millionaires LOL! Ear plugs girl! Ear plugs!

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  5. Don't lie! Next thing ya know she will be auditioning on American Idol saying, " My Mom thinks I am awesome!" DH and I always wonder how those parents could tell their children they are so great?!? : ) M likes to belt it out too, and it's bad. Real bad. She can't keep a tune for the life of her. Not even to the ABC's! DH will always be honest and say, " I'm pretty sure you're not going to be the next Amercian Idol." Hehehe. Oh and she does that whole tracing picture thing too! She works so dang hard at TRACING them all. I always tell her to try herself. She's so darn proud of all of the pages she traces. Whole. Entire. Coloring books.

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