The Perfect Stage

My mom has always said that I was "born with everything but the stage." (Which I'm sure sometimes drove my parents nuts growing up. But I haven't turned out too bad, right?)  Well, some might assume that I threw away my theatrical potential by becoming a stay-at-home mom. Little do they know that I have the best stage and best audience I could ever possibly hope for.

The stage? My kitchen floor.  The audience? Eliza.

That's right, folks. This is a public confession that I sing and dance and perform like a complete goon on a regular basis with zero inhibitions and zero adherence to socially accepted norms. (Is there group therapy for this sort of thing?) Eliza is the recipient of my spontaneous productions daily, and honestly, she gets to witness some of my finest work.

I didn't realize how extreme I was until today, when I saw Eliza's face during one of my folk dance performances to this song from Tangled. I tell you, it was a look of stunned amazement. As if to say, "Wow, Mom! That's really... unique. I've lived here for a whole year and I haven't seen anyone act the way you're acting right now. [Wait for it... here's my favorite part.] How should I feel about it?" 

Isn't that great! No preconceived notions of what a talented performance is. It is absolutely the best! And I use that blank slate quality to my advantage...

So I finish my Kingdom Dance with my hands up thrown up in the air on the final note and a beaming smile. Eliza, completely flabbergasted, is looking at me like, "Uhh... What is the cause of this behavior. Am I in trouble? How should I react to this?"

Well, Lizie... Let me tell you how to react. I clapped my hands twice and excitedly said, "Clap, clap!" 

Just that fast and she erupts into enthusiastic applause and an ear-to-ear cheesy grin. No judgment. Just 100% emphatic and genuine support. How could I possibly ask for a better audience??

Bottom line:   we have fun together. I see wonderful theatrical productions in our future together.