I begin by confessing that I am exhausted, totally exhausted. Being a mother but also being a companion of your daughter's adventures and talent in her passion; dance, is exciting and fills your soul like you have no idea.... However, it is very difficult to be awake from 5:40 in the morning, on a Sunday, to prepare all the things, costume changes and all the equipment for make-up, hairdressing, meals and other things that only mothers who have children in the world of artistic dance know? This is not a complaint. It is the chronicle of a wonderful daughter and her mother proud of her and her achievements.
So, although it may seem repetitive and totally cliché, children, but ultimately our children in general, regardless of age, should be encouraged to achieve what makes them truly, truly happy. Luckily, despite all the hustle, bustle, stress, hardship and mishaps of a girls' dance performance day, and my daughter's in particular, I haven't forgotten that this is about her. Not just the discipline she has shown me so many times, but her performance. She is a hummingbird, as I always tell her: ‘My beautiful little hummingbird’.
A few hours ago today, I was looking at her behind the dressing room, close to the dressing rooms of the Teatro Arlequín (iconic in the rich history of Valencia, Venezuela), and all I could think was ‘Never in a million years could you have imagined that life would reward you with a girl as fantastic and full of pure talent as your daughter’. I truly believe that everyone who has had children can, and does, feel that feeling. There are moments when the pride and satisfaction of seeing them at a peak stage, at the top of their abilities, fills our soul, our life.
We stare in admiration at what they do, and for a brief moment, no one, anywhere, ever, could be more powerfully happy than oneself. And I want to make this clear, because it seems that everything is closely linked to success or to being a prodigy in a discipline. And the truth is that it is not. As much as I am a demanding mother and I promote the best of my child's abilities, I am incapable of forgetting that they are also children? When I was 9 years old, I was bored watching television all day, or at most, I would draw something or other. My daughter tours with her dance academy all over the state where we live, among the best and most beautiful venues, theatres; just doing what she loves to do the most: dance.
If there is one thing that is incredible... Rather, if one could explain what it is to feel proud of a daughter's achievements; as a mother, I would say that seeing her develop in the environment that demands the most passion, dedication, companionship and effort, is a big part of that powerful but impactful feeling that only parents feel about their children. I am a strong believer that happiness and fulfilment are things that are acquired in this life. The key to success is in these steps, and that they, the children, know very well that despite the fatigue, the sacrifice and the long hours of dedication to the whole world of dance and performance, mum will always be by her little girl's side. To be her number one fan, and to love her like no one else will ever love her.