A few recent blog posts got conversations started, though most of the insights were shared elsewhere. I’m bringing some of it back here to make sure you get to enjoy input from other readers.
My post on the dancing baby video and why adults should follow the little ones’ example drew some comments on WordPress, plus several more on Facebook. My old friend Margaret started it off:
Margaret Yang I dance like Elaine Benes from Seinfeld. Maybe if I’d gotten more practice as a kid…
Margaret didn’t realize she was playing my straight man, giving me the opportunity to make the exact point I’d been feeling as I wrote the original post but neglected to express: I don’t believe kids care whether they’re good at singing or dancing, they just do it because it’s enjoyable. It’s not about impressing other people but about your own personal enjoyment. Somewhere along the way, we get too concerned about other people and start censoring ourselves.
Or, as my fabulous husband John Tebeau points out in blog comments, it’s not always self censoring. It’s also that all-too-common chiding people do of each other — how many times have you heard someone make fun of a friend for being a bad singer? “What’d you do with the money? What money? The money your mom gave you for singing lessons?”
Grownups don’t dance because many of them have a perfectionist complex. Plus, other people (let’s call them ‘jerks’) take it upon themselves to shame, criticize and ridicule those who express themselves (singing, dancing, etc.) in ways that are less than professional-quality. It’s not cool. Stop doing it! Thank you.
The conversation continued on Facebook:
Scott Aikens You’re right, but I’ll put a spin on it. I’m an atrocious singer, but I love to sing to my kid. She seems to like it, too, because she doesn’t care that I’m atrocious (unless I sound like a dying cow; which can kind of scare her). In any case, her inhibition allows me to sing unihibitedly, which is fun! 🙂Lisa Baker Redding As my son’s music therapist put it-playing music, listening to music or dancing (moving body to music) activates both hemispheres of the brain and gets those neural connections going which is so important for growth and development 🙂
So in summary, I’ll repeat my call to arms. Please, please dance and sing. Don’t worry what other people think. Chances are Simon Cowell will not shred your performance. And if he does, he’s got me and John to answer to.
On another topic, my post on Julie and Julia prompted these two comments on Facebook:
Bryan Laviolette Very good movie. We enjoyed it, although I left the movie a little disappointed since they never fully resolved Julia Child’s feelings about Julie Powell’s blog. I wanted to know why (guess it’s the reporter in me, always wanting to ask the why question).Tina Garzelloni Versaw I loved the book and the movie, of course the movie left some things out, but they always do.
And at last count, Theresa Walsh Giarrusso’s post about my asking whether couples should sleep in separate beds has drawn more than 100 comments.
Check out Momania to read the thoughtful, passionate insights of Atlanta Journal Constitution readers.
Thanks for sharing your feedback. It’s part of what makes this blog so much fun. Keep it coming!