Perfectionism

Lauren is still working toward the piano exam on Friday. I am so proud of her that I could bust. Not because she's taking the exam, but that she has handled the IDEA of taking the exam. It has opened up to us both that we are both first-born perfectionists and what that means. As I've discussed before, she has had to examine why the exam stressed her so. It was not only the lack of time to prepare, but that she prefers to have pieces perfected before performing them. It has been difficult for her to relax and let go of that.

For me, I've examined my own perfectionism. I was raised to strive always for the best grade in the class, to do everything the best I could. In parenting, it is difficult sometimes for me to let go, to not push the perfectionism on to them. In this exam, before we started this journey, I would have said that Lauren is exceptional in her ability to play the piano and I would expect that she would pass the test if not have high scores. Given the circumstances, I would say that Lauren has already passed the test by putting in a tremendous effort to get the work done, to learn to speak up when she didn't understand, to examine her own emotions about it all, and sticking with it without freaking out. I know she reads my blog, so I say "Congratulations, Lauren. Only two more days to go. I'm proud of you!"
Love Mom