Baby sees The Nutcracker
I took the baby to see my sister’s production of The Nutcracker over the weekend. It is always amazing to see how my sister pulls this show together each year.This year she has three kids of her own to care for, ages 9, 5 and 6 months.
Unfortunately, I screwed up our family calendar, so my husband and older boys were busy at various sports events. We usually all go as a family and plan to do so again next year.
What struck me was the fact that the baby watched, mesmerized, for the entire performance. Okay…after the intermission, he squirmed a bit in his grandmother’s arms, so my mom carried him over to me. He watched the rest of the show from my arms.
This little guy seems to love music and the other day he even enjoyed watching a ballet performance. I’m sure it was the whole thing that held his attention: the colorful props, costumes, lively music as well as the dancing. Maybe 7 months is a little young to instill a love for the arts in a child but it just so happens that my sister is an accomplished dancer and now, teacher. We have always tried to maintain a balance with our kids. We are O.D.’d on sporting events but as my husband and I always enjoyed art, music and live theatre on occasion, we want to instill some appreciation of all of this in our children.
Once or twice a year, we take our boys to the Philadelphia Art Museum. Special exhibits include headsets which give you a narrated tour, sharing insights into the paintings (or other art forms) as well as into the artist’s life and history. There are two options to choose from: the adult version and the children’s version. Our kids enjoy it. We’ll do the same with our new little guy.
The kids especially like taking a trip to Chinatown for lunch, afterwards! I want to be sure that my kids are cultured and allowed to explore the exciting world outside the tiny bubble of our neighborhood, school and everyday lives. They learn a lot in school but it is also our job, as parents, to expose them to new things, educate them and be sure that they are well-rounded.
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