I don’t know where it has come from, but my ‘shy girl’ has been flush with a new found confidence. And it looks radiant on her.
The lovely singing voice that she keeps under wraps is still mostly hidden, but she has a sudden interest in the stage.
Acting, that is.
I’m stunned. This is my TEAM sports girl. My softball-soccer-basketball-volleyball girl. My girl who only-wants-to-do-it-if-her-friends-are-doing-it. Is this part of growing up? Was I supposed to expect this change? It is as though I tucked my small girl into bed one night and her grown up version crawled from beneath the sheets the next morning.
Is it her friends who have inspired the change? Is it being surrounded by teachers who encourage her? At our most recent parent-teacher conference, Jeff and I were amazed to find out our sweet girl raises her hand and asks the teacher a question when she doesn’t understand something. To the uninitiated this may sound simple, but in our home, this used to require the pulling of teeth and begging ME to send the teacher an email. Now she is doing it all on her own? Without prompting?
Who is this child?
My girl who just this summer wanted to be a veterinarian when she ‘grew up’ now has set her sights on stardom: she wants to be an actress. Specifically, she would like to join the cast of Disney’s Jessie. (I love that she has big dreams :)) And while she has always been content to let Cooper be the one to do the commercial and acting work (swearing she would NEVER), she has now changed her mind.
So, next week, she’s going to a casting call to meet Cooper’s agent. While searching for a monologue to do at the casting, we came across casting information for Jessie – what are the chances? The casting requested interested parties to fill out information and explain briefly who they are and why they might be a good fit for the show. Not to be deterred by the thousands of other entries, my normally timid girl wrote this:
Hello, my name is Delaney Smith. I love the show Jessie. I love everybody in the show. I have brown hair, brown eyes and freckles. I love sports! I play softball, soccer, volleyball and basketball. Two years in a row at my school, I won the Punt, Pass and Kick competition. I can sing, but if I am honest, I am VERY shy about it. But I do LOVE to act! I have done some modeling and I have been in a St. Louis Cardinals commercial. ( I even had to bat left handed!) I think I will be a perfect addition to the Ross family!
Will she hear back? I have no idea. But I cannot tell you how proud I am of her for trying. I have watched her rubbing her stomach to literally calm the butterflies as she thinks about ‘trying out’ – having to actually speak in front of other people without holding my hand – and while I’m nervous for her, I’m giddy at the thought that she is challenging herself instead of allowing those butterflies to hold her back. Now she is interested in school plays and beyond – what a gift to see her grow.
As I sit and watch her, I can see her mind working, her courage battling the fear as she tries to prove to herself that she can go after the things that she wants in life. All day long I can tell her that she can do it, but I know that at some point she has to choose to believe it as well.
To know that my belief in her is taking hold, that she is thinking about pushing out of that cocoon…it is extraordinary to witness.
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