Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Indi sings.

Last Sunday afternoon Indi's singing teacher Geoffrey, held a singing soiree in his studio for all the choirs and students he teaches, as well as a couple of groups he performs with. Each singer was allowed two guests and after much discussion, Jazzy and I were invited to attend.

I was so nervous in the lead up to the event. Sure she's had lots of experience performing for huge audiences with her choirs, but this was her first solo gig. Apart from one other child, this was an all adult gig too.

I tried to leave her alone all morning to decide on her outfit and to warm up. I didn't want to pass on my nerves to her but it seems I needn't have worried.

She was a star.

She sat next to me and listened to the singers before her and then when it was her turn she took to the stage and sang.

I was so proud.

I was proud of her song choices that were well thought out and a bit left of centre. She was confident and sang so beautifully and she laughed in good humour, when she stumbled over the words at one stage and kept on going. She looked like she was having fun, like she wanted to be there and to keep singing.

One time a whole lot of years ago, way before I had kids of my own, I was sitting in a bar with my Mum listening to my sister playing a gig. At one stage I asked my Mum if she could believe that she made Emily. That she grew her in her tummy and looked after her and here she was larger than life on the stage performing. My Mum said that she couldn't imagine it. That the two were separate and too huge too put together. I now understand what she meant.

I am a bit obsessed with my children finding their passions. I want them to know what it is that will make them excited, that will make them happy and proud, that will help them get through the difficult times.

I want them to have that feeling in their stomachs that I have when I am inspired. That feeling that when they are doing what they love, it doesn't matter what's going on in the rest of their world.

When my world is too much for me I know I have to sew. I might make a mess of what I'm sewing but its ok because most of the time when I'm sewing the world makes a bit more sense.

I feel like Indi has this with her singing. Lately she's been writing songs too. And she's started learning to play the guitar.

She's also started locking herself in the bathroom to sing and play when she is fighting with one of us or upset. I love this. I am hopeful that if she has her music to turn to then it'll help her get through some of the harder, hormonal, teenage, rebellious times to come.

Did you notice Cumkwat in her pocket for luck?

At the end of her set she came off stage and my Jazzy, overwhelmed with emotion, ran to meet her to cuddle and congratulate her. Phew, it was quite an emotional moment for this Mama.

On the way home we stopped at the florist to buy her some flowers. She chose the biggest, brightest, most wonderful bunch there and walked out carrying them like a ballerina carries hers off the stage.

"I have never been this happy", she told us. "I feel like I could be the new Prime Minister of Australia!"

60 comments:

  1. Such a sweet story... it's wonderful when our kids find their passions. I have one who found his early, surfing and writing, he's combined the 2 into a very successful site. Sshh...no one knows he's only 16. Don't tell. http://www.thesurfboardman.com One of his dreams is to go to Australia to surf :)

    And my other son settled in to Karate and History (thanks to homeschooling and Sonlight) He's off to college in August to study International Relations.

    All that worrying paid off for this mama.

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  2. And so she could be the Prime Minister, this girl, who is so like her mama, can do anything. Congratulations to Indi on what I'm sure was a great performance, she can't fail with a great family behind her.........
    Lizzie
    xxx

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  3. Go Indi!!
    I'll buy your first album ... promise!!!

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  4. What a great post. Brought a little tear to my eye. When we have kids, we often forget that they will grow up, but this is when the joy begins at seeing them become their own person.

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  5. What an amazing experience for a mama, for your daughter! I could easily imagine the emotion I would feel at such a moment. I too want to help my child find her passion and to embrace it.

    Thank you for sharing this story.

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  6. wow - thats bought tears to my eyes alright. What an amazing experience. She looks great up there - so confident.x

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  7. Congratulations Indi. and a beautiful post Mama, may of made me cry just a little. Passions are such a fantastic thing to encourage in our babies I think and sometimes people forget. x

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  8. Well I'm pretty jolly proud of her too! Well done Indi. Music sure sounds like it might be her special thing.

    I just love sisterly love, it's just so special. Well now, I'd better go and wipe my eyes so I can see what else is happening. Have a great day Kate.

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  9. you have me sobbing over here. this story is so beautiful and i love that you bought her flowers. those photos are so strong and gorgeous.

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  10. what a beautiful post!!
    What an amazing experience for you all...and the flowers..awww
    wonderful ♥

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  11. and bet she could! This post gave me goose bumps Kate, you are your girls are all gorgeous and inspiring!

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  12. OMG Kate, I am crying and feeling happy all at once :) What a wonderful moment, and yes, I know exactly what you mean and want the same for my girls as well. So very happy for Indi, so very proud of her too (even though I've never met her!) A child like that must have pretty amazing parents I say! Kx

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  13. Thanks for sharing a wonderful parenting moment with us. Love it.

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  14. Oh how lovely Kate ! My daughter loves to sing on stage, in the bathroom , in the car , anywhere !
    It makes us both so , so happy !

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  15. what a truly wonderful and amazing post. I love the whole thing. I'm not all at surprised Indi was a star but I love how she chose stuff left of centre, laughed her was through some awkward bits and kept going, I think this shows the signs of a true star. SOunds like she has a real gift and love going there.
    I love what your mum said and I love most of all how much you want to encourage and nuture your kids passions Kate, it is one of the most wonderful things you can do as a mum, my mum did it to me and I have nothing but to thank her for it. You truly are an amazing mum, and I'm sure you were beside yourself with pride. Im proud of Indi, and I'm proud to know you, and I also a little proud too that CUmkwat was there to bring her luck ( and Im sure he is proud too). love all the pics and thanks for such a beautiful post. You're truly gorgeous.
    PS sorry this comment is sooo long. xoxo

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  16. Thanks for sharing the story Kate, what a shame all the family couldn't be there. I think she will go far!!

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  17. It's so sweet that Cumkwat was there to listen to her sing too. You must be so proud of her, and all your girls.

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  18. How absolutely wonderful Kate! You should be so very proud of her as my eyes welled up reading it too, you know how you get those lumps in the back of your throat. What a wonderful passion she has chosen to follow too, looking forward to one day seeing where she takes it too. How lovely she took Cumqwat with her too for support! Your one very lucky mama!!

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  19. Beautiful...!
    What a fabulous mum your girls have. Totally inspiring.

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  20. You go Indi, girlfriend!

    Totally relate to your story. My girls had their recitals last week. Beth played the piano so beautifully and Alice had her first guitar recital. She played Black Eyed Peas "I gotta feeling". And she was sooo into it. Foot tapping, head bobbing.

    How did we make them? I'm really not sure, by my goodness, we did a bloody good job I reckon.

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  21. Ohhh this is the sweetest post!!!! You have a beautiful raised family, you should be super proud! And that Cumkwat for luck - too cute!
    =)

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  22. What a an inspiration you both are! How wonderful for Indi to have her talent appreciated and nurtured.
    Be careful what you wish for!
    :)

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  23. I have tears in my eyes, so sweet. I am so proud of her and I've never met you guys! xx

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  24. Aww, I too have tears in my eyes. What a wonderful story. xo

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  25. Lordy lordy I feel nervous just thinking about doing that myself let alone seeing my "heart on legs" getting up and doing it! Wow! You must have been positively exploding with pride! Nice one Indi ;)

    (and just think, had you given up the blog we would have missed this awesome story! Imagine!)

    xx

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  26. That's so beautiful, I have a tear in my eye just reading it, you must have been bursting with pride, what a treasured moment & how wonderful for her to be so passionate about something at her age..and brave, wow!

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  27. Another with a tear in her eye, Congratulations to your daughter and thank you for sharing.

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  28. That was such a lovely post - thanks so much for sharing with us.

    Go Indi - even I feel produ of her :-)

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  29. Gorgeous post and lovely photo's Kate. I love the way you celebrate your children, on special occasions like this one and every day too. Hope you are keeping warm and snug xo ps my emails aren't sending so will send you a message when I get back x

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  30. oh that's so beautiful. well done indi, big pat on the back. would love to know what she sang x

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  31. okay its all been said by many others but WOW - first thing that hit me was how much Indi looks like her mum & secondly I am just astounded at her clothing choices - so, so, so wise - that T-shirt with LOVE on it, her jeans & on trend boots tell me so much about her, as does CumKwat....this is one clever miss - you are right to hold your head up & be proud of what you & Brendan have created....one of those "aha" moments as Oprah would say!!!

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  32. oh bless. what a beautiful story, made my heart sing. lots a love to those girls and you too! xx

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  33. what an amazing story - she is so lucky to have found this passion. i hope that she keeps music in her life - it brings so much joy.
    l
    x

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  34. I never had singing lessons, but I did have a full musical education growing up and now I sing and sing ans sing. I can't imagine life without it. Music is in my head every second of the say. I wake up in the morning and have a song in my head, and we only have newsradio on our alarm clock so no music on that!

    I hope your daughter gets to live her passion for singing or whatever is in her heart, at every opportunity in life! You're a great mum realising that children need this.

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  35. How wonderful to have found something she loves so much. She looks so relaxed in the pictures, I'm not surprised that you're feeling so proud.

    Thanks for sharing such a personal moment, I can only wonder what my girls' passions will be, although I think one will follow my creative and sewing journey.

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  36. I bookmarked this post this morning so I could say...

    I love how you are letting your little ones find their own way in life. It's very inspirational to a relatively new mum like me.

    Thank you for sharing and for inducing some tears this morning.

    :)

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  37. how very fun and cool. go indi!

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  38. Oh, you made me cry.
    That's exactly what I want for my kids, that they find their passion, confidence and self worth.
    I'm always the one weeping up the back at performances, carnivals, music nights wondering where these amazing people came from.
    Thanks Kate :-)

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  39. Gosh Kate, it's early in the morning to have your readers in tears! I loved this post so much, and it's gone in deep, deep, deep. Love your mums comment, and know just what she means. Congrats Indi- what a gift music is; and what an incredible and thoughtful mum you are to value and encourage it so highly.

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  40. Oh dear. You just got this mama all emotional. I was OK until you made me picture Jazzy cuddling her sister proudly. What a gorgeous post Kate. Go Indi. x

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  41. kate, this is a beautiful post. well done you and indi. i love your words that ring so true and i love the photos especially that beautiful top one that captures the event so well

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  42. Sounds like your kids have one amazing gene pool!!!! Go indi....take a bow love take a bow. xx

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  43. Beautiful Kate, and I love 'Cumkwat' tucked away in her pocket :-)

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  44. Just beautiful. What a wonderful Mama you are to stand back and let her live her dreams her own way. It's so hard to do that sometimes! Congratulations to Indi. We'll be looking out for her in the music charts in years to come :o)

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  45. Thanks for such a beautiful & inspirational post!
    Indi is awesome for getting up there & expressing herself. It's so wonderful that she has such great support from her family.
    Passion really is the beauty in life. Without it life would be very bland.
    So, mama Kate... what's next on the sewing agenda? I'm loving those dresses.

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  46. This post brought tears to my eyes Kate, so lovely.
    It's amazing that Indie has found her 'thing' so young - I can't wait for Mama-moments like this in the future.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  47. May I simply say what a gorgeous post.

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  48. Oh blurry blurry eyes!

    Wish I could have been there. She looks so beautiful and comfortable in the pics.

    So proud.

    xxxxx

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  49. Divine. I love your photos - you tell a story so well. And I love her good luck mascot!

    How proud. I even have tears!

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  50. ... and she just might be too! You reminded me of when MJ was 9 years old and starring in Oliver at school I was three rows from the front, when it concluded she asked me did I have something in my eye. I'd been balling the whole time. Golleee they make you so proud don't they. Beautiful post Darling ;)

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  51. I read this post today at work but can't respond from there. The first thing I'm doing after kissing my girls is saying I couldn't agree more. I worry at times that I'm too much this way, searching for your heart's content, having that glorious feeling of doing something you love every day. I feel at times that I'm a contradiction because I have my dream, the same one for over 20 years, but aren't yet "living it". I remember when I was pregnant with Ella I was so worried that my daughter would not respect me because I wasn't showing her that you could live your dream - but I will.

    I know some parents worry about their children finding good careers, reliable careers, smart choices. I don't. I worry about them following their passions, I dream of them singing on stage, painting for a living, acting in the theatre - all the things they're passionate about now, at such a young age. Who knows where they'll end up, but I so want them to hold onto all that passion, all that uninhibiditedness (gosh forgive my spelling), all that life.

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