The Ladybug had her Spring Piano Recital this weekend. This is her first full year of piano lessons and she got a recognition certificate because she just finished her first book.

That's our Ladybug's little blond head on the right.

She did really well, although I could tell she was a little nervous. She had this really serious frown on her face the whole time, and she had a tad bit of hesitation in her song–which I know she knew forwards and backwards because we’ve listened to it picture perfect at home a hundred times in the last month! But I think it provides a great opportunity for her to get use to presenting in front of people–which is a valuable skill. One that a lot of people never really acquire.

She was first and did two songs.

Our kids have all tended toward being shy. The Ladybug the most of all. She was very, very shy when she was younger and has slowly out-grown it as she’s gotten out and about through school and church activities and made friends her age. I’m not one for forcing a child out of their shell, but I’ve seen them each grow out of it slowly, and the Ladybug is now quite the social butterfly in her own circle.

Her last recital, her teacher played her pieces with her. This was her first time alone.

Some people are just not as naturally out-going as others, but I think everyone can develop a certain level of comfort and skill with presenting, performing, or speaking just by doing it more. I’m living proof! I do regular public presentations for my office job (you know, my other job) and there’s a rhythm to it–the more you do it, the better you get at it, the more comfortable you are with it. When you don’t do it for a while, you can get a little rusty and awkward.

I hope it’s a skill I can help our crew cultivate as they grow. I think it has value no matter what you do.

The Cowboy kept trying to find the songs in the hymnal.

Anyway, the boys behaved pretty good too, since the Ladybug was first and they had to sit through the whole recital afterwards. It was only about an hour-long–but that’s a long time to a 4 and 5-year-old boy on a sunny Saturday afternoon! And they knew there would be treats afterwards, since they saw me baking a cake to take with us.

Speedracer behaved pretty good since it was smack in the middle of his normal nap time.

We’ll be on a piano break for the summer (her teacher is expecting a baby in July) and we’ve decided to sign them up for soccer at the end of the summer. This will be our first foray into sports. I have a feeling that Speedracer is really going to like it, but I don’t know about the other two. That’s just my momma gut-feeling. I think especially the Cowboy will prefer self challenging activities, not necessarily team-based activities. But we’ll see how it turns out. We’re going let them try it and see what they think.

The refreshments afterwards were pretty much all sugar. The boys loved it.

What do you think about commitments to activities?  I think that they should have to commit to piano for 1 or 2 years before being allowed to decide to quit. I had parents tell me you even have to push through 3-4 years before they really start to get enough skill to appreciate it.

So with sports, I wonder if one season is enough for them to really determine if they like it or not. Especially at this age. It could be the coach, it could be just that it’s new, it could be that they just have to grow or mature a little more…how long do you make your kiddos stick with something before letting them decide that it’s really just not for them? Obviously quitting mid-season isn’t an option, but otherwise we’re playing it by ear.

I’d love to know what you think or have done–it never hurts to have some opinions to mull over!