Kick Ass, But Don't Forget Your Tutu

Muirne doesn't want to take Ballet anymore. If you saw this post then you would know that she is the cutest ballerina ever. She instead just wants to swim. Now I am all for water safety. She and Bardolf are both taking swim classes two days a week. I offered for her to to both because really THE Cutest Ballerina EVER! Plus I took ballet as a child and I wish that I would have stuck with it to help a little with my girlie-ness, grace, and coordination (that was not sports related). Go figure that the dates weren't knocking down my door in High School when I spent my time in sweatshirts, golf shoes and soccer cleats. Oh yes I was SMOKIN'.

Now it's not that I don't think that women athletes aren't totally hot, but there is something about being a dancer that just encompasses "Girl" and Muirne even though being a gorgeous red-head who likes the occasional princess story and dress up party is more focused on animals then clothes. She won't wear a dress unless I pick it out for her and she could care less if her hair is fixed. She "Likes it Wild".

She is all girl when it comes to moodiness, meltdowns, and melodrama. Not a day goes by that omg-the-world-is-ending-and-it's-all-someones-fault-other-then-mine!! dramatic event occurs, but I expected my days with her to be filled with princesses and tea parties. As I type she is coloring pictures of vampires and Frankensteins. I asked her to make me some new Fall/Halloween pictures for the fridge and she colored those. The vampire even has blood on his mouth. Seriously? I expect this from Bardolf, especially in the coming years, but he is also the boy who is being a grey fluffy mouse with a pink stomach.

I really want to encourage my little girl to buck the current, be who she wants, explore and not be confined to "gender appropriate" activities, but dammit, I'm really disappointed that she chose to stop taking lessons. Yes I could make her do it, but then what am I teaching her? That she needs to do it because I said so even though she doesn't enjoy it? I could push her into another "Girlie" activity, but she hasn't shown interest in anything other then soccer (with the exception of swimming).

I guess mostly I see a lot of myself in her and I don't want her to have the same struggles I did. I just now as an adult and mother have really settled into being a "Girl" and had I found it sooner, I don't know, maybe things would have been easier, and I want things to be easy for her. At the same time I don't want to ever be the parent who pushes the stereotypes, and learning who you are comes from experiencing life yourself.

One thing I do know for sure though, I can totally kick Caspian's ass at golf, and someday Muirne will too--hopefully in pink golf shoes and a tutu.