Feeling guilty about not volunteering enough at my son's elementary school this year, I signed up to chaperone their St. Patrick's Day party, a.k.a. "Irish Disco". Of course, my young daughter wanted to come along. I never thought I'd be taking my kids to their first dance at the ages of four and nine!

I hardly saw my son during the whole party. He was hanging out with the boys, and 'too cool' to sit with his mom and little sister. But it didn't bother me in the least - I enjoyed two hours of watching both my children have an amazingly good time!

The DJ had flashing lights, loud speakers, and the most popular dancing and party music. My daughter put on her usual "shy act" for the first fifteen minutes or so, until one of her favorite songs came on. It took about two seconds for her to start strutting her stuff on the dance floor with the girls from my son's class. There were other children her age there, but they weren't very interested in dancing. My daughter shows a true love for music and rhythm, and once she got herself moving, she was a natural!

In my own childhood, I was quiet, very reserved, and shy. I would never ever get up in front of anyone and do anything that I didn't absolutely have to. I don't think I stepped onto a dance floor until I was over eighteen years old! I had a good childhood, but I do regret my bashfulness. It's so magical to me to see how truly outgoing my own daughter is now, and I will do everything possible to nurture that side of her - to keep her strong, independent, and proud of herself. I could see it on her face, that look of knowing that she was doing what felt right for her, and it didn't matter what the world thought - it just felt good to dance!!!

She started requesting songs from the DJ, so she'd hear her favorites. She was lost in a world of music & movement, with a grin from ear to ear. I could just tell that she had forgotten all her worries, and she would stay on that dance floor for days if I would let her. The little girl inside me envied her so much during those moments I spent watching her.

This was a true lesson that our children are individuals, not something that we have complete control over. She is so different from me, in so many ways. I can do my best to be her biggest role model, but in the end, her own personality will emerge. And if we are honest with ourselves, I think most of us would have to agree that we have some traits that we do not want our children to acquire. My own bashfulness and insecurity is the fault that I don't want to pass on to my children, and my daughter has already won that battle, as far as I can tell.

Oh, did I mention that my little girl can really dance?? I mean, she's truly got rhythm, and can dance on her own, making it up as she goes along, and it honestly looks good! My little four-year old was dancing as good as any of the older girls out there. She was keeping pace with the music, and switching tempos as fast as the songs changed. I believe she was showing off, but to nobody but herself, just enjoying the fun of actually dancing somewhere besides our living room. Of course, I'm a little biased about her talent on the dance floor, but I'd bet you a leprechaun's pot of gold that she was the best little dancer at the Irish Disco!