the evolution of mama pig

it's been a while since i've talked about the kids.  it's not for lack of material - they give me plenty to work with.

lately, i've especially been noticing growth in chloe.  it's funny,...  she's only 7, but sometimes it feels like she's lived and changed a lifetime.  i guess that's what makes childhood so amazing.

chloe has never liked an audience.  maybe that's not true.  she's never liked an audience if she feels like they are being amused or entertained by her.  that feels like the same thing, but it's not.  she has always been very aware of what people think about her.  very aware.  she once overheard our pastor laughing with someone and interrupted to ask him if he was laughing at her.  she was only 3.  similarly, she's never been a big fan of us sharing stories about her with other people.  and i'm not talking about bad stuff; i mean the cute things.  she just gets embarrassed really easily.

chloe is not shy.  she loves being around people.  one of her favorite parts of kindergarten was enjoying all the playground drama.  (if you only have boys, you may be unfamiliar with this term.  trust me. it's very real.)  but still, she thinks a lot about what others are thinking.  i can remember being amazed at how self-conscious she was at 2 1/2 yrs old when she had her notorious mixer incident which left her partially scalped and quite traumatized (i don't even have a blog entry to refer you back to.  it was that long ago)  despite all the pain, she was most horrified at what people would think of her bald spot.  at 2 years old!

you can imagine how surprised i was when 2 Christmases ago, she decided she wanted to play the part of Snoopy in our Jr. Church version of the Charlie Brown Christmas play.  she told me it was because she wouldn't have any lines, but Snoopy clearly stood out - having to bark and wear a dog costume.  she loved it, though, and totally played it up.

as her first grade year has progressed, chloe has really grown.  although she loves all the interaction with her friends, she doesn't seem quite as consumed with doing everything just like them.  (she recently told me she didn't want to wear her hair in a side ponytail because that's what all the girls in her class do.  i was both impressed and grateful...)  so i wasn't totally shocked when, several weeks ago, she made this announcement:  I'm going to be Mama Pig.

every year, the first grade does a musical production of the three little pigs called The Three Piggy Opera.  since patrick was our first 1st grader, we were unaware of this special event until he came home last year and told us he had earned the part of the Big, Bad Wolf.  anyone who knows patrick knows how ironic and comical that assignment is, but that's a whole other post.  he did a great job, singing the part of the wolf, and we enjoyed the show.  the entire 1st grade participates, but there are about 8 main parts that tell the story while the rest of the 60+ first graders sing in the chorus.

when chloe made her announcement to our family, patrick immediately told her she wouldn't be able to do it:  "that's the biggest singing part!  you have to learn the longest song!  it's so hard to do!"
she was not deterred but rather seemed more determined as she simply responded, "i don't care.  i'm gonna be Mama Pig."

you can only imagine the excitement in our house when, a couple of weeks later, following auditions and lots of waiting, she came home with the news: I'm Mama Pig!!!

we've since heard her practice the song.  we all know the song.  she's picked out the dress she's going to wear.  she's been reminded of the audience that will be watching.  she's ready.  i'm so excited to see her perform - not because she'll be better or more special than any of the other first graders, but because i know how far she's come.