We are fast approaching the holiday season. For all you grandparents out there trying to figure out the biggest, shiniest or most expensive ‘thing’ you can purchase, please, PAUSE, take a step back and try to remember that the best gift for a Montessori child has real meaning.
Last year my granddaughter, Blakely, received the book, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Peter Tchaikovsky was commissioned to compose the music for Alexandre Dumas’s adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffman’s tale, and the rest is history. Blakely and I read the book together several times. She was just three years old. I then showed her the actual ballet on youtube. It is almost two hours in duration. She stood transfixed during the entire ballet. Every time I make the visit to Rochester, NY, where she lives, she asks me to either read the book with her or watch the ballet. An idea was born.
I researched if any ballet companies were performing the holiday ballet in Rochester and found out they would be there for one night only in mid December. I quickly checked with my editor about taking the time off to go there and Blakely’s mom to see if it was going to be alright to take her, as it was a school night and got the OK, go-for-it, thumbs-up response from both. I booked my flights and purchased the two tickets. I’m not quite sure who is more excited about going, but I think it’s a tie.
Blakely has been told she and I are going, just Grammie and “B,” all dressed up in lovely dresses, to attend the ballet for real. Her eyes sparkle and she does a twirl or two and asks if the Mouse King will be real, and we assure her it’s just a costumed performer. It’s been a topic of discussion for six months, so her enthusiasm is alive, her interest in the story is etched, the idea of getting all dressed up appeals greatly to her, and I get to provide her with this incredible experience.
I mention this because, even though it was 55 years ago, I remember the very first time my parents took me to a real ballet. To this day, I remember the experience, and it helped frame my love of classical music and ballet. Having the opportunity to share that with my granddaughter is almost indescribable. Even if she falls asleep on my lap or has to get up ten times to use the rest room, I doubt she, too, will ever forget the memory of the night because it has real meaning to her. A plastic toy has a very short shelf life in the scheme of things. Experiences and special times with children create memories and bonds that last a lifetime. So enjoy the holidays and choose wisely this year.
Even though it was 55 years ago, I remember the very first time my parents took me to a real ballet. To this day, I remember the experience and it helped frame my love of classical music and ballet. Having the opportunity to share that with my granddaughter is almost indescribable.
Tomorrow’s Child / October 2016 / p 29
