Today, my tiny dancer daughter had a moment in the spotlight. She won an amazing honor at her summer dance intensive.
I clapped. I took pictures. I was so incredibly proud. Her first comment upon seeing me was, “Are you crying?!”
No! (Yes…I cried.)
This mom life can be tough at times, and dance mom life? Don’t even get me started.
There are the late nights of normal dance class, the long weekends of dance competition, and the many hours of hair and makeup and calming nerves.
And then, there are moments like this.
There are moments when you feel your heart burst out of your chest because the world recognizes all of the things that you see in your child on a daily basis.
In these moments, we feel our essence of being a mom the greatest. We feel that the world recognizes that of which we are most proud—our children.
It doesn’t have to be a “dance mom moment.” It doesn’t even have to be a moment that the rest of the world sees. It can be a moment that just happens randomly, but in those precious seconds when you see your child beam, you know that your heart’s mission has been fulfilled.
As a mom, you are destined to be the side line cheerleader, the packer of lunches, and the finder of missing uniform pieces. You will be their alarm clock, their chauffeur, and their money investor.
But you will also be the voice of reason. You will be the calm to their storm and the peace when they are stressed about that big race/game/competition/test. You will be their constant.
And that will be your biggest privilege and most honorable challenge.
Just remember that when the lights of the ball field fade, the stage lights disappear, and the cameras stop clicking, I know you are there.
Behind the scenes are where us moms know the terrain the best. We wish for nothing more than a beaming smile and hug.
But once in a while, the universe conspires to assure that we are captured and eternally remembered. For in those rare moments when a mom is captured, you will see pure and exquisite joy. Abounding joy.
In those moments, I want you to realize that being a mom on the sidelines is an honor that some will never know but all will honor. In those moments when you feel insignificant, remember that you are anything but small.
You are love embodied as something greater than the human eye can see.
Be grateful, water your own grass,
…and drink coffee.