Is well-rounding considered torture in some cultures?

Last night was Lennon and Riley’s piano recital. It was awesome. The kids did so well. No wonder Linda Herzog offered to teach Riley for free—most of her students are a result of our referral. Just kidding, but I wonder if that’s why she felt she could accomplish it without charging him. She offered, by the way, because Riley is really kicking about taking piano right now. I have to say though, his music last night was far and away the best. And I’m not just a biased mother (I don’t think). Cassie had some difficult pieces she played, but it wasn’t the same. Perhaps she was just nervous, but Riley really nailed his—he put feeling into them, he played them well, and he just looked like a natural. And Linda has mentioned more than once that he’s her best student. He played three pieces, and she put him last, I guess as kind of her "crown jewel" or something. It was cute.

So here’s my struggle: what do I do with my son who has met the requirement I set for quitting piano? I told him he needed to either choose a sport (something year-round, but we’ll get to that later), choose another instrument, or learn five hymns. Well, he chose skiing. Not a year-round sport, you say, and I reminded him of that. He also would like to participate in track and swimming, though, so he’s got himself covered. And what do I do when that child is clearly gifted in the area he's wanting to quit? I'm not suggesting he's a protege or anything, but he really does have a talent.

While I’m thrilled he’s decided to participate in sports (finally), I really think he’d be sorry if he quit piano. I have tried logic, reason, pleading, and even the offer of a break for a few months. So finally last night I just told him that he couldn’t quit, but that he could have a break during the ski season. He’s already signed up for skiing, and he’s excited about that, so I figure I don’t want to come down too hard on him. I’m also going to call Skyline and get him on their junior swim team. I think he’d be great at that, too.

Wish me luck in my quest for a well-rounded child. ;)

On another note, we made the cutest gingerbread house over the weekend! It was awesome. I say was because once we got photos of it, it was fair eating. Shame. It was a great addition to our decor. For pics, go to my facebook page and have a look-see.

Of spirits and ghosts

My son Lennon was baptized a member of the LDS church on Saturday. It was a really cool occasion. The bishop of our ward spoke briefly beforehand, and talked about how he preferred calling the Holy Ghost the Holy Spirit, because ghost could sound kind of spooky.

After the baptism we all met for Lennon's confirmation, the second half of the baptismal event. I watched as Grandpa began the confirmatory (?) prayer/blessing, and Lennon got teary during the prayer. I held his gaze to let him know I was right there with him, and it all just felt really cool.

After we got home, I asked Ed if he had happened to peek at Lennon during the prayer. He said no, and I told him that Lennon had cried. Ed asked if I thought Lennon was scared, to which I assured him that he wasn't scared. Without missing a beat, Ed said, "Well maybe he was scared of the ghost."

On another note, Riley has decided that he does not want to take piano lessons anymore. It's getting more difficult for him, and he's always been the type to want to do things well or not at all (I wonder where he gets that from? Not anymore, but I used to be the same way). I told him he could do that, but only if he did one of the following: find a sport or sports that he could take/play all year, learn five hymns from the hymn book, or find another instrument that he would like to learn.

After many "discussions" and gripe sessions about how he didn't want to play piano anymore and me reminding him what he needed to do to change that, he finally told me yesterday that he wants to learn to ski. So we now are pursuing skiing lessons, with a meeting about the program on Thursday. I will let you know how it goes!