(As we stood holding hands in the wings before her very first performance)
One of my five year old dance students:
Pari didi, is it scary on stage?
Me: No! It’s going to be so much fun!
Five year old: But it’s still a little scary right?
Me: Maybe a little bit, but I promise once you’re done, you’ll wish you could do it all over again because everyone’s going to clap for you and say wow, she danced so well!
Five year old: But then that means we can’t make any mistakes right?
Me: Well, we have to try our best not to, but if we make a mistake by accident it’s okay!
Five year old: But did you practise? Because last time we did it you made some mistakes…
Me: (mortified) I promise I’ll try my best.
So much for setting a good example.
