Mum needs your help! (From Swindon Advertiser)

Mum needs your help!

9:42am Tuesday 11th November 2008

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By Mum's The Word »

I am actually supposed to be getting ready to go out Christmas shopping this morning (sorry Grumpy, I know it’s only November, but six kids stockings to fill, twelve or so presents each = 36 presents alone, so I hope you can excuse me a little) I also desperately need to buy another pair of shoes (really I do this time!) I have a hole in my boots that I conveniently discovered when it was raining.

Anyway I am rambling (as usual) I will get straight to the point. I am in reality sat here on my backside, worrying myself silly about Tiz, my nine (going on 13) year old daughter.

Anyway, last week she came home from school absolutely full of it. The year five production preparations had commenced, with auditions being planned for the following week.

Tiz is a girl of boundless enthusiasm over absolutely everything. One of the things I love about her most is the fact that she puts her all into absolutely everything that she does. It really doesn’t matter what it is she that she is doing, could be science, a performance, taking a photograph, cooking etc, she will go to extraordinary lengths to make sure that she has achieved the task in hand to the absolute best of her ability. She has a tremendous sense of pride in all that she does. She is also an extremely selfless child. If somebody needs a hand, she will pause whatever it is that she is doing and she is there, only too willing to help out patiently for however long it takes.

Last week she spent hours deliberating over the best song to sing for the auditions. Finally, when she had gone through what seemed like the entire worldwide web music selection, she made her choice. She then proceeded to drive us all nuts by practising singing the song over and over again, in her quest to get it perfect. Then disaster struck......

She came home from school yesterday with this huge storm cloud over her head, which appropriately burst as soon as she stepped into the shoe (she would not dare cry in public.) It turns out that she has been given the last and very smallest part in the production. She has precisely two words to stay throughout the entire play and they are not on the main stage, but apparently on the step.

She came home from school yesterday with this huge storm cloud over her head, which appropriately burst as soon as she stepped into the shoe

I don’t necessarily think that this is a bad thing. You see I firmly believe that she needs to realise that she can not have a major part in everything at school. But nonetheless it is really horrid to see your child breaking her heart over something like this.

I set about the task of consoling her. I explained firstly that she can’t always have a major part in everything. I reminded her of all the times that she had been especially chosen to do something important and to represent the school. The time the head chose her to go on the radio with her, the golden letters home etc.

I then explained that in a production such as this, the small minor parts are as crucial at making the performance a successful one as the major ones. I went down the whole team effort route, explaining how crucial this is when putting on a performance. I also reminded her that there will be many other productions throughout her school life; this is just one of many. I told her that she could pick up a lot of experience during this one and maybe get a bigger part in the next one.

I then hugged her and told her how special she was and how proud I was of her and the way that she puts so much into everything she does. However, she is still heartbroken over this. My question is have I missed anything in my consoling her? Is there something I should/could still say that would make her feel better? I feel so helpless. What would you have done differently? HELP please someone!