What makes The Pea extraordinary

From the moment she was born, I knew The Pea was special.  I realize the 70% of parents think their baby is above average, but she's different!  I thought every inch of her was beautiful, from her wispy blond hair (hey, how many half-Filipino children can you think of with blond hair!) to the sweet little strawberry mark on the top of her head. She's pretty and smart and funny and creative and the most extraordinary kid in the world.

Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with me.  One of the things The Pea loves to do most in the world is dance.  Moving to music brings her so much joy, and I love watching the way her eyes shine and the way her smile lights up her face when she dances.  Her effort and her love of dance is up there with the greatest dancers in the world -- but unfortunately her body doesn't always follow suit.  For the last 3 years, she has auditioned to be part of her dance studio's competitive dance team, and for the last 3 years, she has been rejected.  Many of her friends have gotten in, and she has not.  She has had to watch them take extra classes and go to competitions (which of course improves their technique and makes the gap between them larger and larger).  This year, she suffered a double-whammy: most of her friends got the approval to begin pointe lessons, and she did not.  I guess her ballet teacher thinks she needs more training.

It has been hard on her, and it has been hard on me.  I know she would give up her straight A's and students awards to make that team, but this is a life lesson that she has to endure. I hate it. My heart breaks every time she hears the bad news, and I have cried with her and comforted her. Seeing her want something that badly, and working so hard to get it, and not getting it, makes me feel helpless and frustrated.  I feel like I would do anything, talk to the teacher, complain, demand, anything.

But The Pea is a better person than I am.  She doesn't want me to beg and plead with the teacher, or make a big fuss about it with the dance studio director.  She told me she wouldn't want to make the team or the pointe class if the reason was because her mom intervened.  And every year, she picks herself up from that devastating disappointment, smiles and congratulates her friends, and keeps on working and dancing. That dedication and determination is why I love The Pea with all my heart, and that's why she'll always be the most extraordinary kid ever.

Is your kid extraordinary?  Stanford Children's Health, the largest Bay Area healthcare provider with an exclusive focus on children and expectant women, certainly thinks so.  That's why they are committed to providing extraordinary care for your child and all others.  Stanford Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford has been the top-ranked children’s hospital in Northern California for over a decade.  They have a wonderful site which celebrates extraordinary children through video slideshows that parents create.  All you have to do is upload 11 photos (tip: for best results, make sure all the photos are landscape!), and your video is created for you.  Here's the video I created for The Pea:

Your kid is extraordinary. Show them how much you enjoy every moment together by creating a special video of your own!"

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. This is a sponsored post


Tweet this!