When Your Child Wants To Follow Their Dreams

I’m not religious, however, I know that I’m blessed with three wonderful children (Marcus 26, Rachel 20, & Ava 15). Each has special talents that seem to appear contiguously – even all these years later. It’s been fun to watch them through their successes and inevitable failures, keep moving FW: After all, isn’t that what life is all about, reinventing yourself? My humble opinion - in 2018 that skill is requisite.

In any event, both Marcus and Rachel were exceptional youth athletes: baseball, hockey, tennis, on the top-youth teams, and later in the MA Catholic Conference, NE Independent School League, and NCAA Baseball respectively.

So, at age 7, when Rachel would invariably organize a mini-musical anytime more than one friend came over - we didn’t think too much about it. The more friends or relatives were over, the bigger the musical production, the longer the “show”, and the bigger Rachel’s smile.

The week the 7th grade talent show rolled around Rachel summarily informed us that she would be singing a solo: “Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson. We were blindsided. It wasn’t even on the calendar. I have to admit, after she belted out the lyrics alone on stage, I sat in my seat thinking – that wasn’t half-bad, a sentiment shared by 500 classmates and parents. It was all Rachel could talk about for weeks. Before she left to play Prep School sports, Rachel agonized about her desire to go to a School that specialized in Arts. “You’re a good athlete Ray, maybe good enough to play in college, why throw that away now” I can hear myself saying. “If you still feel this way after High School You can always go to an Arts College” I said convincingly. “I guess your right Dad” she offered begrudgingly.

When college acceptance day arrived, I have to admit we were happy that Boston University College of General Studies was the obvious choice. “She’ll get a more balanced education at BU, better career prospects, and a much bigger network than a smaller (Fine Arts) school” my wife and I said to ourselves. Should we have been surprised when Rachel informed us sophomore year via PowerPoint presentation she was taking a leave of absence from BU? That she had taken an internship at Cybersound Studios on Newbury Street and was writing her own music to record? And that she was transferring to The New School in NYC to Major in Contemporary Music and follow her passion to write, sing and record her own songs? “Dad you said if I still wanted to pursue the Arts after High School I could in College – Remember”?

Note to self: keep your big-mouth shut.

Even a well-meaning parent has to accept passion and embrace it. After one semester at The New School Rachel (stage name "Rachel Rose") released her first single on iTunes, Spotify and others. https://www.thewimn.com/rachel-rose-debuts-single-dancing-palm-hand/

Whether it gets 10 listens or 10,000,000 I know one thing: she’s smiling from ear to ear. Maybe it’s just that simple. What are you going to do when your child wants to follow their dreams?

Best,

Mark