My Daughter's First Live Band Performance

When we were kids, we were often asked, "What do you wanna be when you grow up?" Every adult we talk to, it's like their ice breaker. First they ask our name, then how old we are, then according to your answer, they'll ask if you're in this grade or that. Most adults don't feel comfortable talking to a child. Like they're some fragile thing. So they move to whatever next topic they can think of. Most often than not, they ask the question "What do you wanna be when you grow up?"

As a kid, I know I might have said I wanted to be a doctor. Or a teacher. I might probavly have said I wanted to be a nurse. I'm sure I did not say I want to be a police officer. My mother used to scare me that the police or the guard will get me whenever I misbehaved in public. So I used to have this fear towards them. I don't anymore. Or maybe I still do but not as major as when I was a kid.

My daughter has been asked this very same question. When she was 3 or 4, she used to say she wanted to be Aquaman. Then she said she wanted to be everything. Then she shifted into becoming a seller. As she growd up, she seem to be thinking about the answer to this question too much. She returned the question to me one time. "How do I know what I want to be when I grow up? I'm just a child." Ad if I'm not yet stumped by her questions, she followed it up with "What if I chose wrong? Won't that be a big waste of time?"

I often doubt if I am parenting my child right, but in times like this, I also questiob my child's childing. She thinks about things a little way too much. But I understand her line of thinking. I, too, was bombarded by those questions when I was a child and it seems not fair to make a child choose what they want to be when they grow up at an age where all they should be thinking of is whether they'll play tag or tea party in the afteenoon.

What they need is exposure to different kinds of fields that they might want to venture into in the future. Before they could set their mind into what they want to be in the future, they need to know all the options that they have. Now, I know I won't be able to let her see firsthand all the different jobs and fields she can choose from, but I sure am exposing her to a lot of career paths. It's a good thing ky circles of friends have a wide range of different careers.

She has experienced dancing on stage, now, she experienced singing. One of her godfathers is a bass guitar player in a band. On a birthday party we attended last year, she experienced performing with a live band with all those instruments and such with her godfather. She had a nice time. During her performance, I could see she was not showing any form of nervousness or shyness. I love how confident she is on stage.

After her song number, she told me that she wasn't feeling the live band vibe. She was taken aback by all the people singing along with her. In fairness to her, she had only danced on stage and this is the first time she sang. I told her that live singing performances with a live band is always like that - the crowd singing along with the singer, just enjoying the song. She is just used to classical ballet performance.

Now that she has experienced it, she says she is crossing band singer off her list of possible careers in the future. She is excited though with her voice lessons. Although she is still open to possibilities of performing again - but she said maybe with a musical instrument or not a live band performance.

Whatever she feels like doing, I am surr I'll be fine with it. For now, I'm just happy she's enjoying her childhood and absorbing every lessons she can get in every experience. I also had fun taking videosnof her perform. Whatever path she chooses. I'll be a proud stage nanay, supporting her all the way.