i was a quitter

25.

My parents gave me many opportunities to become a cultured young woman. I took piano lessons, and did the classic ballet/jazz/tap combination at a dance studio for a bit, then tried gymnastics twice--once at a big gym and the second time was at our neighborhood rec center.

I'd like to say that some of it carried over, but none of it did, well, at least not how it should have. I was allowed to quit everything. If I got tired of going, no one ever gave me a little push in the right direction. My parents were hard liners for agency, even when I really needed some guidance. However, I do believe I learned something about poise and how to conduct myself in formal ways that I could not have learned without the expectations of performances and the discipline I was given by other adults. Another thing I learned, in hindsight, is how important a bit of parental guidance can be when children are being wishy washy. Because of my inability to follow through and stick with something, I have had to taste bitter regret. I am glad for it because now I can discern when to guide and when to set them free to choose entirely on their own instead of repeating parenting practices that weren't as beneficial as they could have been. It has proven invaluable with my own children.