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velvetpageI put on my Celtic Woman CD (or rather, opened iTunes and played it from there.)
And my daughters danced.
Claire dances by spinning in circles, and occasionally jumping or stumbling around dizzy. She stops long enough to regain her balance, and then starts again. She dances with total abandon and no thought - emotion to motion, no steps in between. It's one of the most joyous sights I've ever had the privilege to witness.
Elizabeth is older now. She used to dance with abandon. Now she dances thoughtfully, changing her movements to match the rhythm and feel of the music. I remember the exact moment she made that switch, when she was a bit past two. I remember feeling that something had changed forever about my daughter, that she wasn't a baby anymore in that moment. Today she was dancing in a form I can only call proto-Irish - lots of legs in fast movements to match the beat, very little with her arms. She was concentrating so hard. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was flying, and she was so, so beautiful. What she lacked in abandon she made up for in enthusiasm.
More than any other single thing, watching my daughters dance brings me joy as a parent.
And my daughters danced.
Claire dances by spinning in circles, and occasionally jumping or stumbling around dizzy. She stops long enough to regain her balance, and then starts again. She dances with total abandon and no thought - emotion to motion, no steps in between. It's one of the most joyous sights I've ever had the privilege to witness.
Elizabeth is older now. She used to dance with abandon. Now she dances thoughtfully, changing her movements to match the rhythm and feel of the music. I remember the exact moment she made that switch, when she was a bit past two. I remember feeling that something had changed forever about my daughter, that she wasn't a baby anymore in that moment. Today she was dancing in a form I can only call proto-Irish - lots of legs in fast movements to match the beat, very little with her arms. She was concentrating so hard. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was flying, and she was so, so beautiful. What she lacked in abandon she made up for in enthusiasm.
More than any other single thing, watching my daughters dance brings me joy as a parent.