Confessions of a Twirl Mom Part 2

Confession - I am sometimes too hard on the Princess, especially when it comes to baton twirling.  (Not "TV Dance Mom" style.  Those moms just scare me.)  Sometimes I think that it is because she is so much like me and I want her to feel the excitement of success once she conquers something and then sometimes I think it is because I know that she can do anything she wants if she puts her mind to it.  However, early this fall I learned that there was another reason that I am hard on her that I had not even consciously realized and she and I both learned a valuable lesson.

Twirling at our school's halftime show with the band this past Friday

The Princess had taken a break from twirling this summer but had a local competition Labor Day weekend.  Successfully encouraging her to practice for this competition was nearly impossible.  I  despised being so hard on her and could not figure out why this horrible, vicious cycle was in repeat mode.  Why did I expect so much out of her and why was I getting so frustrated if she couldn't remember a routine?  I would get irritated with her half-hearted attempts, or complete lack of  attempts, to practice and the Princess would become tearfully upset when she didn't receive the praise she had wanted and expected.  Please don't think that I didn't praise her accomplishments.  Of course I praised the Princess, but the problem was that she was overconfident and didn't seem to care if she memorized and perfected her routines.

Before her Aladdin themed dance twirl at competition this past weekend

After a particularly trying session, where I suggested that maybe she should quit baton twirling and/or competitions, Honey gently suggested that this might be a good time to let her fail.  (WHAT?????!?!?!?!?!) This is the same little girl who recently shared that the two things she is scared of are "spiders and failure."

My response was, "But I don't want her to embarrass herself.  It happened to me growing up and it was AWFUL." And then it hit me.  The Princess and I had been playing tug of war.  She thought I was just being mean but I really was trying my hardest to not let her experience the embarrassment I had experienced as a young girl by forgetting my routine in a competition.  I had never forgotten that moment and although I am certain it wasn't nearly as bad as I had remembered it to be, it was a moment etched forever in the "Never ever let this happen again" part of my brain.  I wanted to spare the Princess from that, but know the best way to learn sometimes is from the fall.

With Mama Jane who came with us to the competition

We trudged forward.  I was terrified by her possible 'fall', but ready too.  The Princess did forget nearly every routine, tears were abundant, and it was not a pleasant day at all.  Thank Heavens that my mom, aka Mama Jane, was there to assist in picking up the pieces.  Please know that none of the pictures in this post are from the Labor Day competition.  Those pictures are not pleasant.

Eight weeks later, a different little girl arrived at the next competition.  She was determined, excited, and prepared.  She didn't win everything, but I was the proudest mom when she earned 3rd place out of 9 girls in the 7-9 year old group for solo twirling.  She had a FABULOUS time competing, meeting new girls, and we had so much fun together.

Saturday night, my heart warmed when she told me, "Mom, you are the best mom in the whole world.  Thank you so much for letting me come to the competition.  I had so much fun today." It was the sweetest mother/daughter moment and I will always remember it.

Hope

Confessions of a Twirl Mom & a 'Good Luck' Gift

Confession - I wasn't NEARLY appreciative enough of what my mom did for me growing up.  As the daughter of a former baton twirler, I started twirling by age 3 or 4.  Whenever I had a baton competition or performance it was almost as if elves came in the middle of the night and rhinestoned & sewed my costumes; cleaned my batons; made sure I had the right accessories; and even had snacks packed.  I know this is late and cannot be said enough, but, Mom, YOU ROCK!

And so now - I'm the elf.  My middle child, Lily Brooks (aka 'The Princess'), is now a baton twirler. On Friday night she twirled during halftime at our high school football game and then Saturday had a baton competition in Birmingham, Alabama.  So after Halloween festivities Thursday evening and getting the kids ready for bed, I turned into Twirl Mom Elf.

The Rain Stopped Just in time for home Halloween Fun!

Sweet hubby (aka 'Honey') poured me a glass of wine Thursday evening.  Sadly, this is where I found it Friday morning.  Right where I left it while helping the girls brush teeth and hair before bed.  Kind of sad isn't it?

Here are a few of Lily Brooks's costumes that I worked on so feverishly.  Fellow twirl mom and good friend S and I make a fabulous team.  I take care of any sewing and she glues all of the rhinestones. The costume below was for Friday night for Lily Brooks and Little S to wear at the football game.  It matches our school's colors and turned out beautifully.  Best of all, Lily Brooks feels like a super star wearing them.

Duet Outfit for twirling with her friend Little S

Aladdin themed dance twirl costume for competitions

I really want Lily Brooks to enjoy traveling to competitions and make new friends with some of the other girls.  To make it a little easier for her to introduce herself to some of her competitors, I make little 'Good Luck' treats for her to hand out to the other girls.  She loves handing them out, it is a great ice breaker, and each time she hands them out having practice introducing herself.  For this competition I used fun sized Starburst packs and made a label with 'You're a Star! Good Luck! Love, Lily Brooks' for each pack.  I used Avery return address labels and they are the perfect size for a fun-sized candy treat.

You're a Star! Good Luck Treat

Two other treats I've used at previous competitions are a fun sized pack of M&Ms with "Be Mighty Magnificent" and a fun sized crunch bar with "It's CRUNCH time.  You can do it!"

Be Mighty Magnificent! Good Luck Treat

'It's CRUNCH time - You CAN do it!' Good Luck Treat

Lily Brooks and her friend, Little S, did fabulous Friday night and I was very proud.  I will end with a sweet picture that my mom took of me Friday night watching Lily Brooks twirl.  What is so neat is that my mom (aka 'Mama Jane') wasn't just watching Lily Brooks, she was also watching me.  Thanks mom for being my Twirl Mom Elf and for teaching me how to be a good elf too!

Proud Twirl Mom