Young Bard

When Everett is playing alone, he has started to pretend with a couple of toys and sing a whole story about them. When I was doing dishes the other day, he came up with a song that had to have been about fifteen minutes long.

Since I am in the Primary now, I get to observe Everett there almost every week. It was surprising for me to learn that he doesn't participate much in the singing time. He sits, listens, and observes, but rarely actually sings. He is eager to help with things other than singing, like holding a picture or doing the motions. This past Sunday I learned something about him. He thrives in the spotlight. He piped up that he knew a song. The music leader decided to let him come up and lead it. He sang every word. His whole body was animated and his face was bursting with excitement. (For Everett, singing usually involves running around and "dancing".) I LOVE to see him like that. I wish I could inspire that kind of enthusiasm for the rest of singing time, but I can see that this little boy is a performer and find myself wondering where in the world this came from.

When I was younger, I was painfully shy. I still have a lot of performance anxiety, though I have improved a good bit over the years. I hope that Everett never grows out of his exuberance and gregariousness.

One thing that he has grown out of is his blanket. The other day, he informed us that it wasn't his anymore. It was one of his sisters'. His blankies have been put away for some time. (He was so attached to his blankie that I cut it in half so I could wash half of it at a time.) This one has mainly served as a cape. I will never forget the day he wore it to the park, along with his turtle goggles. Wouldn't it be nice to never worry about things like what other people might think of you if you wore a cape and turtle goggles?