Lonely Caterpillar
 

Dreaming big & being a princess.

In August 2016 we were blessed to be able to take the kids to see Aladdin in the west end.

As I have blogged about it before you will know that we totally fell in love with this production. From the lights to the staging to the truly wonderful singing, dancing and acting it was just magical from start to finish. After the show we went to the stage door to meet the cast, all of which where wonderfully kind to both the kids. When Megan met Trevor Dion Nicholas she immediately told him that she was going to play Genie when she grows up. Without a moment of hesitation he told her she defiantly should and she’d be great. That man is a natural encourager and is beyond kind. You can probably see from my picture that Megan and Trevor maybe wouldn’t meet the same casting requirements, he’s a man and she’s a girl but she saw no reason why she couldn’t do it and he made sure she believed she could.

Now those few words boosted my little girls confidence so much that she decided just before Christmas to audition for the school musical ‘a lad in trouble’ , she instantly told the teacher she wanted to play genie. The teachers explained that the main roles usually go to the older children but Megan was persistent and she got the chance to audition, having to read a script and sing a solo.

Now what you need to understand before I go any further is that since Megan started school she has been painfully shy, her first harvest service she cried the whole way through, she couldn’t even have a line in the Christmas play she was so nervous. That anxiety crept out of school and into every day life, it become so hard to hear Megan, and she even had to change reading group in school because the teacher simply couldn’t hear what she was capable of. Then two years ago we sent her to drama classes. Classes that are about building your confidence and everyone getting a chance at a main role. Her confidence has come on leaps and bounds, she started writing stories and reading them in class. And then those words from someone she so looked up to just gave her the confidence to step out of her comfort zone and reach for that dream.

So this week Megan acts in three performances of ‘A lad in trouble’ , she did not get the role of Genie, she is playing ‘Matt Paint’ and that did not phase her even one bit because this gives her a chance to practice for her next chance. She has thrown her all into these rehearsals, even loosing her voice at one point. I am so proud of her giving it her all and most of all I’m so proud of her from trying!

I don’t know what Megan will be when she grows up,she might stick with acting and cost me a fortune or she could decide next week that acting isn’t her dream and she wants to be a dentist. But I love that she truly belives she be or do anything.

My generation have been really blessed to grow up in a time where Women’s rights have just jumped forward leaps and bounds. Human rights in general have come a very long way and although not everyone is treated equally everywhere in the world, really things were moving forward in a really wonderful direction. I remember a year ago taking Megan with me to vote and telling her how we must always use our right to vote as women fought hard for us to be able to do so. Megan couldn’t even comprehend why a woman wouldn’t be able to do everything a man could.  I love that she had no perception of not ever being treated as an equal.

This week my 7 year old son has been so stressed out about Donald trump, my kids read the week junior magazine. I love that they are interested in the news and politics I think its healthy and its good to be educated but neither of them can get their heads around how this man is in the position he is in. Elijah finds it horrific that someone would build a wall to keep people who are different from themselves away, he is genuinely confused why the colour of your skin or what you believe in would cause any barrier to a friendship. My kids don’t get this because we, as society where finally starting to get stuff right. Our education was truly teaching kids that we are all the same!!

And then some people go and set us back by 50/100 years. Now I wonder will my child be able to do everything? Will she be treated the same as her brother?

You might say that these issues don’t effect us, in the UK but these issues aren’t political, there is a selfish society immerging. a culture that worships celebrity on all levels Its teaching put yourself first and don’t reach out for those in need. Do anything you need to, to get what you want. It is sad, it is scary and its destroying everything that so many people fought so hard to change.

So when I tell my little girl to ‘dream big princess’ what I pray is that she dreams big as a WARRIOR PRINCESS. That I don’t want her to have to fight for what is hers but that I believe she has it within her. I want her to dream big for herself but to catch other peoples dreams and help them with theirs. To never trod on someone else’s dream, big or small in order to achiever her own and to most of all to believe that every dream is worth reaching for.

This world can feel like a place of nightmares but when we all believe together our dreams can still come true.