Tiny Tapper

Teagan has started taking tap dance. Briley took 3 years of tap and I wanted to give Teagan the same opportunities as Briley so she too is enrolled at the same Dance Studio. Adding activities for Teagan to our schedule does make it more challenging as Briley's activities already keep us busy enough. But, I feel it is important for Teagan especially since lately she has been having some difficulties with being insecure. She asks me daily if I still like her. Every night before bed, she asks if I am going to sleep soon too. Every time I drop her off at the sitter's, she asks if I will come back and pick her up. And tap dance has had it challenges as well. She went the first night with no problem and really enjoyed it. The second night was a different story. The dance instructor had to pull her from my arms kicking and screaming. She cried for the first 5 minutes and then just stood the next 5 minutes. She finally started dancing and made it through the rest of the session. The third session, she cried but only briefly.

I know she likes it as she practices her steps on and off through out the week at home on her own without my asking her to. She asks when she gets to go back and she loves getting candy at the end of the session. I hope this week will bring no tears.

Teagan needs these experiences to work through her insecurities. She will have a tough challenge ahead when the Christmas program comes and she has to dance on stage in front of over 100 people. I often wonder if her insecurities stem back to China and being taken away from her foster mother at such a young age. Does she still have memories of this or is it just something in her subconscious that is still there? Those first few months with Teagan were such a struggle...we still have struggles, but we will work through them...together.