For Kennedy (okay...for dad too), the past 6 weeks have had all of the awe, energy, and excitement of a circus, and all of that showed in the morning as Kennedy excitedly woke up, and with giant eyes said; "I am so excited, I can't wait for the show tonight!" I have to admit, that I was surprised (and very pleased) to hear her say that. I hoped that the Downriver Youth Performing Arts Center's workshop would help develop her self confidence and to open up a little more (like we often see her at home), and I am pleased to say that I think it helped.
As the day drug on, I could see that the excitement was turning to nervous energy so we went up to the nature center for a while, found a geocache, and then came home for a lazy afternoon. I don't think that her nerves calmed much, but I could see the energy turning to excitement again as she got dressed, got her hair and makeup done, and as we drove there. Once we were at the theater, she calmly sat with the other kids. I'm pretty sure that I was more nervous at that point than she was. After the show she sat with her friends, classmates, and family that went to see her and was all smiles. She broke away from them long enough to say that she had so much fun and had never received so many flowers in her life. She ran back to friends, but not before giving me a big hug and telling me that she loved me.
Kennedy did much better than I thought she would, (although she still needs to find her theater voice), and I think that the workshop helped build some confidence and esteem. Most important to me though was that she had fun. The moment that she asked if she enroll in the fall workshop convinced me that she did. If it means that she gets those kinds of benefits....I get those kinds of hugs again, then I'm going to do everything to make sure that she gets enrolled right away.