Hoe Yes!

Since last year's first post of the year was titled "Hoe No!" in response to my son's adamant request that I not attend his last elementary school hoedown, I decided that it would be fitting to write my first post for 2014 on the day of Ella's third grade hoedown.

She came to me this morning, hairbrush and ponytail holders in hand, asking for "two braids, please", after which she ran upstairs and donned the requisite plaid shirt, jeans and boots in preparation for the do-si-dos and promenades that lay ahead. She reluctantly agreed that I could make one or two very short videos to share with John since he couldn't be there to witness the hoedown in person.

When I first started attending these hoedowns seven years ago, I was the enthusiastic mother of a new kindergartner, eager to jump into every little thing he did at school. I video-taped the entire event that year and joined in the same line dance that we did today. The same elderly man shows up every year to call the hoedown, wearing a bright bandana and occasionally letting out a resounding "Yee-haw!" The kids grow and change but the basic event remains the same. There's something comforting in going to the same place year after year and watching your kids repeat the same steps as they did the previous year.

I guess sometimes it's true - the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Last year I lamented about the fact that my kids were growing up too fast, leaving me and ultimately their childhood behind. In 2014 I think I'm going to resolve to enjoy the changes, embrace the growth, and accept that all of it is completely out of my control.

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle and turn to the left . . .