Unexpected confidence.
My Girl has always had something special about her. And that's not just me as a proud Momma saying that. Anyone who meets her is is immediately intrigued. She isn't your typical 9 year old. She is deep. Kind. The voice of an angel that soothes. Beautiful inside that oozes out. But she lacks one thing. Confidence in herself.
Now...let's talk about her Aunt Becky. Who since My Girl was about 2 years old has wanted to put her out there for the whole world to see. So when an opportunity came up here in our hometown, I thought Aunt Becky would DIE! We spent the short week leading up to it going back and forth. She wanted to do it so bad, but (in her words) she "knew there were better actors and singers and prettier girls out there than her that they would never want her anyways." I didn't push. But I did talk to her about her fears. How they will ALWAYS conquer her as long as she lets them. How she will never be able to be what she wants to be (a doctor/nurse/teacher/worship leader) if fear always trumps it. Many many many a tear was shed this past week. But she finally decided. She was going to do it.
We woke up that morning and got ready. She practiced her scripted commercial they had sent all the way there. She practiced her song, Oh How He Loves Us, all the way there. We walk in and she about loses it. There are 650 kids auditioning. All in front of each other. I informed her that we were there and she was going to do this. She was almost in tears as they called her name and we walked up. Just so happens the two judges that we were placed with discovered Brenda Song from "The Suite Life of Zac and Cody" and Josh Duhmel from "All My Children", "Transformers", "Las Vegas" and of course Fergie's husband. Just to name a few. I could tell...she was gonna freeze. But I didn't intervene. I let them just talk to her. I stepped back down the steps. Where I couldn't hear. I could only watch from behind. Hard hard HARD! Then the judges asked my kids to take a seat so they could talk to mom.
Now, a little background. The scouts had already said that they would do one of three things: Call you back for tomorrow's signing, constructively let you go or call you before 11:00 pm to let you know their decision if they were iffy. I had sat and watched lots of kids have to "take a seat while they talked to the parents" and it meant they were not keeping the kid. If they were keeping the kid, they told the kid and they jumped for joy.
So here I stand. Ready to hear it. They told me that My Boy had a really great look about him but that he was just too immature. I knew that going into it. Just brought him along for the ride. But then they got serious. The man said they loved My Girl and wanted to sign her the next morning. That she was beautifuly inside and out and amazing at her acting a beautiful singer (but weak). Then they began to talk about some things that blew me away. They said that she didn't come in here like most girls her age with a chip on their shoulder just KNOWING they would get the part. Acting as though they are the best. They said that they loved the most that she was beautiful and "chunky". That stick figure little girls don't relate well to girls in America. But that she would be the girl next door. He ended with looking me square in the face and saying, "I'm seroius. I want her!"
Woah! I gathered my children and we walked out of the auditorium. My Girl hung her head and said, "they hated me, didn't they?" I then proceeded to tell her what they said. I honestly thought she was going to hyperventalate! But to have someone like that tell her what her Daddy and I and grandparents and friends and family have been telling her for years...I watched a switch flip. Unexpected confidence!
Now, we decided not to sign. First of all, it was pretty pricey to get started. But also...she's nine years old. And that's not the life we want her to lead at this age. If she wants to do something like that and knows that it is God's will for her, then we can address that at a later date. She was sad that we didn't go ahead with it, but she understood. The main thing we gained from it meant more anyway.
Congratulations, Baby Girl! Glad someone with an eye saw what I get the honor to see every stinkin day! I love you.
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