Morning Photo Project Days 88-112 18 Mar-30 April 2010

This last day was PJ Day at school. The kids were a bit excited to wear their pj's to school.

Who says boys can't do ballet?

The other day I had a strange conversation with an educator at my child's school that left me a bit dumbfounded. 


Cyrus take Capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music and dance) each Wednesday after school.  He is the youngest kid in his class and gets a bit frustrated with all of the verbal instructions that his teacher gives. "I just want to do the fighting part." I told him that he needs to know how to do the "fighting part" so he needs to listen to the instructor. Anyway, he is bored of the class and wants to switch to something different. Grady takes ballet on the same day, so he said that he wants to take ballet. Grady chimed in and said "boys don't do ballet" at which time I mentioned to her great ballerinos (male ballet danseurs) such as Alvin Ailey, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and  Desmond Richardson. She was pleasantly suprised and they both thought it was cool to do ballet.


Anyway, fast-forward to Wednesday. While picking the kids up from capoeira and ballet, one of the organizers of the programs pulls me aside to speak to me about Cyrus and capoeira. She pretty much reiterates what Cyrus has told me (he's bored of all of the talk, etc) and suggests that he takes a different class that he may have more interest in. At this point I'm thinking to myself that this is perfect timing, as he said that he wanted to try something new, perhaps ballet, which I tell the organizer to which she replies "Oh no. Let's not put him into ballet." "Why not" I ask. Her reply "there are no other boys in the class and I don't want him to be the center of attention. I use to teach kindergarten and I don't want anyone singling him out for being different. I'll talk to the art teacher and maybe he can do art or something along those lines." Her insinuation was that ballet was a "girl" activity and if a boy participated he could be perceived as being "feminine" and would be emasculated. 


All I can think of in my head is "why can't boys take ballet, shouldn't we embrace a child's individuality and isn't dance a form of art?" I seriously couldn't believe that I was having this conversation with an educator in 2010. I left the meeting in total disbelief at what I was hearing and not quite knowing what to say. I knew what I wanted to say but my mom always said "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." 


I am not sure that whether or not Cyrus would like ballet anymore than capoeira, but the point is he should be able to explore all sides of himself. To assume that he would be any less a boy if he takes ballet is just ridiculous and so antiquated.  The funny thing is that if my daughter Grady wanted to play baseball, they would throw her a jersey and a mitt and say that she is making headway for girls around the world and she would be celebrated for being  "different". 


The lesson in all of this is that I will love my kids regardless of what activities they partake in, as long as they work hard, do their best and are having fun.  I don't think we need to fill kid's heads about what they can't do but rather appreciate all they can do. Who says boys can't do ballet? Not me.


xo.....Daddy

Cyrus' Tree

Tonight, we had to cut down Cyrus' favorite tree at our place in Starlight. The tree was old and dead and had been destroyed by termites, so we had no other choice. Cyrus loved climbing up the tree and playing in it.

Well now Cyrus is just destroyed and we feel horrible. He has been crying non-stop for about an hour and doesn't want us to even consider finding a new favorite tree amongst the hundreds on our property. Now he says that he wants to live with a new family that has better trees.

Mr. Head Strong

Our son Cyrus is the most head-strong kid in the world. When he gets a thought in his head, there is no letting go. He is a wonderful kid, but is in the "testing" phase. He is "testing" my patience daily.  The thing he hasn't yet realized is that he is "testing" the wrong person. I'm like Teflon and I won't be broken. Bring it Cy-Cy. I love you but Daddy sets the rules.


xo.....Daddy

Morning Photo Project Days 70-87 Mon. 22 Feb -Tues. 17 March 2010

Morning Photo Project Days 70-87 Mon. 22 Feb - Tues. 17 March, 2010

Our son is a comic genius

I know that some parents say that their kid is the funniest kid to ever live, but our son Cyrus takes the cake. He never fails to suprise us with his wit & humor. And, he's only 4 years old.

Here is a snippet from an email that his teacher sent to us the other day. Enjoy.

Cyrus has been doing fine...he has definitely settled down, but is still Cyrus 
of course.  The other day, he said "Suma, this is a hot mess."  I guess I need 
to stop saying that so much!  Personally, my favorite Cyrus line so far was at 
the park  when he told someone, "Don't play me, play lotto."  I had to walk away 
because I started laughing!  

We told you he was a comic genius. We love this kid. He brightens our day.

She's got STYLE...she knows how to wear it.

Grady is full of life and passion & her passion for fashion is taking hold.
She landed herself in The NY Times Sunday Styles Section at age 5.