#so my dad opted to hold on telling us until after the concert

[eggs-love-loki]

Searching “how to title an email to your boss regarding the name of your dead nana” and just leaving it a No Subject email instead

[monggu-eomma]

Give and Take

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Genre: Reply 2009 AU, high school AU, fluff, and comfort

Word Count: 2.2k

Prompt: self-insert your first teen phase

Summary: Rewind to 2009. It’s a year that you’ll never forget. Memories of Kanye interrupting Taylor’s acceptance speech, Twilight being made into a movie, the release of the Single Ladies music video, making your very own Facebook account, and texting your best friend on the newest Samsung slide phone would forever be ingrained in your mind. It was a busy year and with the help of your best friend, you were going to snag the hottest concert tickets that any teen girl or guy could dream of having. 

Author’s Note: This scenario is for the BGW Bingo Bash and is based off of the “self-insert your first teen phase.” The teen phase that I have chosen to write about was my very first boy band, the Jonas Brothers. Nothing that happened in this scenario actually happened to me. Like all but one of my stories, it’s just wishful thinking. © Give and Take is copyright monggu-eomma. Do not re-post, modify, and/or translate this piece of writing without my permission.

Life seemed to take more than it gave back. It all began a few years ago. At eleven years old, you were starting to make lifelong friendships and settle into your life, your parents took away all of that progress by moving to a new place. It was supposed to be a fresh start, especially for your parents and their crumbling relationship and they had hoped that being closer to family would somehow solve all of their problems, but it didn’t stop the contention found in your home. The phrase “the grass is not greener on the other side” rang true for your family’s big move. The constant fighting didn’t disappear after your family moved and with being forced to make new friends and adjust to a new place, you felt like life was taking the biggest dump on you possible. 

With all of that being said, there was one thing as a result of your family moving that wasn’t terrible and that was your best friend, Kim Taehyung. You had first met him when his family had offered to help your family move into your new home. When you first looked around the neighborhood, it seemed like all of the kids in the neighborhood knew each other very well and it made you feel like an outsider. All of that quickly changed when Taehyung had approached you and asked if you wanted to play with him. Despite being shy, you nodded your head and from there you grew to be the best of friends. 

Taehyung had always been there for you. He was there cheering you on during your horseback riding competitions and he was there to console you when your parents told you that they didn’t have enough money to continue your horseback riding lessons. It was a low blow to have to give up on something that you loved to do and Taehyung was there to comfort by inviting you to hang out at his family’s farm and take care of their horses with him. He was there to encourage you to play the cello, which you had always wanted to play, even though it meant that you couldn’t be in Band class with him. Most recently, he was there through the tears and the deafening moments of silence when your mom walked out, leading to your parents’ divorce. He knew that he couldn’t fix your broken heart, but he did everything in his power to make sure that you remembered that you were not alone. On warm days he would come over and encourage you to go on walks with him to make sure you got fresh air and on cold days, he would open his arms to you and watch whatever movie you wanted to watch, even if it was Twilight. 

You and Taehyung did everything together, from taking the bus to school together, to taking as many classes together as possible -- much to the displeasure of your teachers -- to sharing secrets while playing Mario Kart late at night. He would listen to you gush about your favorite male celebrities and he even came with you at the midnight release of Breaking Dawn. Taehyung was without a doubt the best part of your life. 

“Nick is so handsome,” you sighed as you stood by your locker, admiring your newly acquired Jonas Brothers album. Taehyung stood next to you, looking down at the album and tried to remember which one was Nick. Was he the one with straight hair? 

“I thought Joe was your favorite,” Taehyung said. He didn’t particularly care for the Jonas Brothers, but he didn’t dislike them either. 

“Joe is my favorite, but I can still think that Nick is handsome,” you explained. “Oh! Oh! And Kevin,” you added, because in this house you loved and supported every Jonas Brother. 

Taehyung nodded, not really sure what to say to that. He supposed it made sense, but he also was under the impression that you were primarily into the Jonas Brothers for their music. You felt your phone vibrate in your pocket and you saw that a friend had texted you, asking if you were going to ride the bus back home. 

“We need to go! The bus is going to leave soon!” You exclaimed as you slid open your phone to reveal a full keyboard. You needed to tell your friend to ask the bus driver to wait for you and Taehyung to come. Before you could start the text, Taehyung’s eyes widened and he took your wrist so that you could run along with him.

The Fates seemed to be favoring you today, which got you excited, since the bus was still there by the time you and Taehyung had arrived, with chests heaving and hearts pounding. You had failed to notice that Taehyung was still holding on to your hand as you entered the bus, but oddly enough, it wasn’t weird. It felt kind of nice. You wouldn’t have minded him holding your hand more often. It wasn’t until you both sat down next to each other that Taehyung had noticed that he was still holding your hand. He looked down at your intertwined hands and immediately released your hand, a blush coloring his neck and cheeks. 

“Sorry,” he said. Normally you weren’t a big of prolonged physical contact, but you knew that if it weren’t for Taehyung holding your hand as he ran, there was no way that you would have made it on time to the bus. 

You bumped your shoulder against his, trying to diffuse the tension. “It’s okay. If it weren’t for you dragging me, I would have missed the bus.” You didn’t want to make it awkward by saying that you enjoyed him holding your hand. You would keep that information to yourself.

Although there was still some awkwardness hanging in the air, the rest of the bus ride home was spent listening to music with Taehyung. You each shared an earbud as you both listened to music on your iPod. It was amazing that that thing could hold five hundred songs. You were pretty sure that you’d never be able to use up all of the space for music. 

A few songs later, and you found yourself walking back home with Taehyung. The walk was only six minutes, you had counted, and you were still listening to music together. It was a little hard to share earbuds with Taehyung since he was starting to grow taller, which caused the earbud in your right ear to tug a few times. He asked a few times if you were okay since he saw the minor discomfort, but you didn’t mind it all. 

“Are you still going to come by later?” You asked when you stood in front of your house. 

“Of course! I just need to do some chores and then I’ll be right over,” Taehyung replied, with a smile. 

You clapped your hands and jumped up and down. “Awesome!” Taehyung laughed and started to make his way home. “And don’t forget to bring your phone!”

He turned around and tilted his head to the side. “My phone?” 

“Yeah! We’re gonna need it tonight,” you exclaimed. Taehyung was skeptical towards your request but he shrugged his shoulders in compliance. You never needed to try hard to convince him to do something. Your wish was your command and he would gladly follow. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you really going to do this?” Taehyung asked as he watched you scatter five different phones, four cell phones and your home phone, on your bedroom floor. 

“Yes! I am,” you said as you looked up to see his eyes judging you from where he sat on your bed. You opted to sit on your bedroom floor to allow for more flexibility, although mobility wasn’t necessary for this challenge, you just liked knowing that you could move around. 

“Can’t you just use your laptop to get tickets?” Taehyung suggested. He looked toward your clunky Dell laptop that was sitting on your desk. That laptop was so ancient that it made a whirring noise whenever you used it, but despite its age the laptop worked perfectly fine even if it had to be plugged into a socket to function. 

“No! I can’t,” you replied as you folded your arms across your body. “I don’t have money and there’s no way that Dad will buy tickets for me. The only way that I can see them is to win tickets through this radio show,” you explained in exasperation. It felt like this was the millionth time that you were explaining yourself to Taehyung, but at the same time, you knew that you shouldn’t be too harsh on him. He could have made fun of you for your obsession over the Jonas Brothers, but he didn’t. On top of that, he was even letting you use his cellphone to call in to the radio show. “Can you pass me my radio, please?” 

Taehyung leaned over to your nightstand and grabbed your radio. 

  “Thank you!” You beamed as he handed over the radio to you. Taehyung smiled as he watched you dial the radio to the right station. He couldn’t remember the exact moment that he started crushing on you. Maybe it was when you shared your favorite ice cream with him, even though you hate sharing your favorite foods. Maybe it was when you spent all of the free day that they had in Band class laughing at him messing around on the saxophone. Maybe it was when your soft hand tightly held on to his hand when your school took your grade to the ice skating rink. Regardless of when he started to share his heart with you, Taehyung was resolved to stay by your side, even as you daydreamed of marrying your favorite Jonas Brother. 

Taehyung was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a thud on your bed. You had tossed two of the five phones onto your bed. He gazed at you as the last rays from the Sun for the day streamed into your bedroom, illuminating your figure. He was crushing on you, hard. 

“When the radio host opens up the line, dial the radio station’s phone number,” you explained. Taehyung nodded his head, despite not really understanding what was so great about the Jonas Brothers, but at this point he was sure he would do anything for you. If you asked him to jump, he would say, “How high?” 

“You ready, Tae?” 

“Ready,” he said as he listened carefully to the radio host. Despite the fact that Taehyung was watching your nervous and excited state, he still managed to play his part and he continued to play his unspoken part ten minutes later when he held you in his arms on your bed as you cried. 

“We tried so hard,” you said in between tears as your fingers clutched Taehyung’s shirt as if your life depended on it. He didn’t think that it was accurate to say we since he had just followed along with you not giving anything but you much thought, but he wasn’t going to argue with you on that. 

You felt devastated. You knew that there was a chance that you wouldn’t get the tickets, but before the radio show, you did your best to not entertain those kinds of negative thoughts. It was all or nothing. From an outside perspective it seemed silly to cry over tickets, but you really wanted to see the Jonas Brothers and this was your one chance to do so. 

As the tears continued to fall, Taehyung carefully ran his fingers through your hair. He knew that you weren’t a touchy-feely person, so this prolonged physical contact was new territory for the both of you, but you didn’t complain about the comfort he gave. The only thing he could do was to comfort you to the best of his capacity. Occasionally, he’d rock your bodies back and forth, which would cause you to break out in laughter, even if you still felt heartbroken at the loss of not getting the concert tickets. Eventually, the tears stopped flowing and you looked up to see Taehyung looking down at you. 

“Thanks for helping me, Tae,” you said. “I know you don’t like or really care about the Jonas Brothers, but you still helped me.” 

“I’m always here. Even if that means helping you get tickets to see the Brothers Jonas,” Taehyung said, purposefully getting the band name wrong. You playfully punched him in the arm and rolled your eyes. 

“It’s the Jonas Brothers, Tae. Not the Brothers Jonas,” you corrected.

Taehyung laughed at your correction. You felt the vibrations of his chest, since he was still holding on you in his arms. He laid against the headboard of your bed, taking you down with him. 

“You’re such a dork, Taehyung.” 

“But I’m better than the Jonas Brothers, right?” You felt Taehyung bury his face in your hair and you smiled. 

“You aren’t just better. You’re the best.” 

Life took more than it gave back, but none of that mattered because when life gave you Kim Taehyung, you didn’t need anything else. 

[the--blackdahlia]

Too Young to Fall in Love Chapter 9 (Dirt!Nikki x Reader)

Title: Too Young to Fall in Love 9

Summary: Nikki Sixx was a hard partying musician on the strip. He never expected to fall in love with anyone, until a girl knocked on his dressing room door looking for a ride home and took his breath away. Just like everything else Nikki did; the drugs, the money, the music; Nikki went hard with love. (Y/n) Bass never expected the bassist of Motley Crue to be the one to shake her calm and calculated life up. She had a plan. Graduate school, become an epic producer, and watch from behind the scenes as her brother’s band rose to fame. Nikki and (Y/n) were perfect for each other, too bad her brother, Tommy, didn’t think so.

Series warnings:  Smut (18+ Please), drug use, language, referenced miscarriage, drug overdose, mentioned attempted suicide, out of character moments for everyone in the band, the timeline might be a little screwy but it’s fanfiction! I know nothing of music production and my medical knowledge is really screwy, so it won’t be accurate.

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She was waiting outside, looking down at her shoes like it was the most interesting. She was about to turn and head back in to check the time. Of course he wouldn’t show up. Why would he?

“Shit.” Nikki grumbled as he pulled up by the sidewalk.  Leaving the car idling, he ran up to her and gently grabbed her hand, making her turn and look at him. “Sorry! I’m so sorry! Tommy borrowed my car to get gas for his bike and then he lost my keys and I was looking for them and by the time I found them, it was after 6 o’clock. I… if you want to cancel I can understand, but please let me make it up to you for being late?” Nikki rambled as he looked down at the ground in shame.

"Oh Nikki, I was scared that you changed your mind." She looked away. "That Tommy sounds like fun."

“Like a snake bite,” Nikki sighed. “I’m really sorry, I understand if you don’t want to see me again,” Nikki breathed. He felt like a failure, he let her down.

"Of course I want to see you silly boy." She smiled at him. "Off we go?" She held her hand out for him.

Nikki gave her a bright smile, “Let’s go sweet girl,” he pulled her in for a sweet deep kiss. “Lets go catch our movie first and then dinner.”

He helped her into the car and drove off towards the movie theater.  The opted to see The E.T the Extra Terrestrial, and Nikki found himself liking the movie and loving (Y/n) snuggling up to him. They were sharing a bag of popcorn and there were few times where their hands reached at the same time. NIkki let her eat most of it. He kissed her head during the movie letting her know he was enjoying her company.  It didn’t take long before he gently pulled her face up and began kissing her deeply. His hand cupped her face before running his fingers rently through her hair.

(Y/n)felt herself pressing up against him and giving a soft sigh. Nikki smirked against her lips at the sounds she made. Kissing her again he felt his heart pound in his chest and the bulge in his pants get bigger.  Shifting slightly to fix himself he broke the kiss and touched his nose against hers.

“I hope Chinese is ok for dinner,” he whispered to her.    

“I love Chinese food.” (Y/n) smiled. “It’s like you can read my mind.”

“What can I say,” Nikki kissed her again. “I know what my girlfriend likes,” he realized his words and blush. “That is if you want to be… mygirlfriend.” he rushed.

“Mr. Sixx, did you just ask me to be your girlfriend?” (Y/n) laughed.

“Yes… unless you think it’s too fast and i’m not good enough… and….” Nikki felt her lips on his, shutting him up.

“I would love to be your girlfriend Nikki Sixx.” She smiled at him.

As soon as the movie was over they made their way to the Chinese restaurant. Once at a booth Nikki relaxed and smiled.

“So, you have siblings, and they sound kind of… I don’t know, mean?” Nikki shrugged. “I don’t know how anyone who cannot appreciate that brain of yours.”

“My siblings are kinda idiots,” (Y/n) laughed. “My sister is smarter than my brother. Nessa likes to say that mom and dad were saving all the brains for me.” She sighed. “I just wish I was as cool as them.”

“You are cool,” Nikki argued. “I mean hey, you listen to us and Aerosmith, and I’m sure you listen to other artists I haven’t mentioned that are pretty cool.” NIkki reached for her hand as he shoveled a spoonful of fried rice into his mouth.

“The Beatles are my favorite band,” She shrugged. “My brother teases me, but I cried so hard when John Lennon died.”

“You and me both sweet girl,” Nikki said and smiled at her. “Your brother sounds like he doesn’t know good music even if it hits him in the ass.”

“Oh, I’m telling him that.” She laughed. “He’d probably go pout and blair his old Led Zeppelin records.”

Nikki laughed but forgot he was eating and almost choked on his food. Taking a sip of water and cleared his throat, “Your brother is lame to make fun of you but listen to Zep!”

“Right?” She took a sip of her drink. “I can appreciate all kinds of different music. Just not classical. Not too big on it.” She smiled at him. “Besides yourself, what’s your favorite band?”

“Well, Zeppelin is one, then you got Queen, Leapard, Ramones, Kiss.” Nikki smiled.

“God, I would love to go see Queen.” (Y/n) said. “Freddie Mercury has better eyelashes and makeup than I do though.” She laughed. “But, I think your makeup is pretty good too.”

NIkki chuckled, “Maybe I can score us some tickets when they come by.” (Y/n) smiled at him.

“Do you have a gig tomorrow night?” (Y/n) asked. “My brother wants to hang out and...I just wanna make sure I don’t miss anything.”

“Yeah, we’re playing at Whiskey tomorrow,” Nikki said. “Best part is we live right down the street from it,” he put money on the table for their food. They got up and headed out.

“That’s convenient.” (Y/n) laughed. “Bet it’s party central there.”

“Sometimes,” Nikki shrugs, “But the parties are boring without you.”

“I never was one for big parties. My brother and sister used to make me hang out in my room when they threw house parties, or they sent me off to Nessa’s. Think that’s when I started falling in love with muric.” She shrugged.

“Well, I think you would be a party animal,” Nikki said as he pulled her close as he walked with her along the street. “I want to kiss you so bad right now.”

“Who’s saying you can’t?” (Y/n) asked with a smile. “Might be the last time you get to before your bandmates interrupt us.”

“I got the best spot for us,” he smiled. “Come on”

“Where are we going?” (Y/n) asked as Nikki led her down the street. Nikki led her to his car and drove her to the Hollywood sign.

“I figured we can get a nice view,” he said as he parked the car and helped her out. Lifting her by her waist he sat her on the hood and sat by her. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful.” She said, looking out of Los Angeles. “I’ve done day hikes up here, but never night. It’s gorgeous.”

NIkki was looking at her, “Yeah it is.” he smiled.

“Have you ever wanted to leave California?” (Y/n) asked him, staring down at the lights.

“I was born in San Jose, Mom moved around alot had a lot of shitty step-dads when my dad split.”  he sighed and looked at the scenery. “My childhood wasn’t a happy one.” She reached out and held his hand.

“I know my siblings were mean to me, but I can only imagine what you went through.” She leaned against him. “I hope that I can make you happy now though.”

“You already are making me happy sweet girl,” he whispered as he pulled her in for a kiss. One hand cupped her face, the other wrapped around her waist. “I feel like i’m falling real hard and fast for you (Y/n) I can’t explain it.”

“I think I might be falling for you too.” (Y/n) admitted, leaning in to kiss him again.

Nikki let his hands roam her body as his fingers found their way under her shirt. His lips moved from her mouth to her jaw, to her ear, and then down her neck. (Y/n) moaned softly, but slowly pushed him back.

“Nikki, I really like you, I do...but...I never...you know…” She looked down, ashamed.

“You mean you’re a...oh… OH!” Nikki caressed her cheek and moved her face so he could gaze into her eyes. “That just means I would need to plan a date in a more comfortable spot away from the guys.”  Nikki rasped. “That is if you still want to be with me… I won’t pressure you… I mean it’s your choice.”

‘I want to,” She told him. “Maybe a couple more dates?” She asked, afraid he’d be upset.

“Sounds like a plan,” he smiled as he brought her in for a kiss. “How about I take you home?”

“Sounds great.” She smiled and slid off the hood with him. “Thank you for tonight.”

“Anything for my girl,” he said helping her into the car and driving her home holding her hand the whole way. He pulled up at the dorm.

“Thank you Nikki.” She smiled at him. “I had a great time. And I’ll be at the concert tomorrow night, barring inconvenience. I don’t have any classes tomorrow after my 8 am.”

“Maybe I can sneak away for a few to come make out with you?” Nikki wiggled his eyebrows as he parked next to the sidewalk to her dorm. Leaning over he pulled her in for another kiss. “Sorry, I just can’t help myself.”

“I think I’d love that.” She kissed him again. “I can’t get enough of that.”

“Ok, I’ll see what I can do just tell me where you’ll be at and I can meet you.” Nikki smiled kissing her again.

“Okay.” She kissed him one more time. “I probably should get in. Thank you for everything again Mr. Sixx.”

“Ok, sweet girl.” he whispered before kissing her again. “I’ll call you when I get to my apartment just to make sure you’re ok.” he whispered.

“I might be asleep, so please don’t be upset if I don’t answer.” (Y/n) told him. “Goodnight Nikki.” She kissed his cheek and headed towards the door, where Vanessa was waiting.

Nikki drove off towards his home as Vanessa ushered Y/N to her dorm. “So...how was it?”

“Amazing.” (Y/n) said dreamily. “I really like him Nessa. Would you want to go see Motley Crue tomorrow night? Athena might want to go too.”

“Does that mean I get to meet the infamous Vince Neil?” she said. “Rumor has it he’s really good in bed.”

“Sure, we’ll set you up.” (Y/n) laughed. “Let’s go get some sleep. I’ve got an 8 am.” They headed to Vanessa’s room. She had a double room, but no room mate. “I need to tell him I don’t really live here.”

“Do it sooner rather than later,” she sang. “So how should I dress tomorrow?”

“Jeans and I’ll let you borrow one of my band tees.” (Y/n) told her. “You’ll knock him dead.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Vanessa sighed as she gave (Y/n) some PJ's to sleep in. “So… are you and Nikki going to…. have a deflowering ceremony?” she batted her eyes at (Y/n).

“Oh my god.” (Y/n) groaned. “We talked about it. I think he wanted to tonight and I told him I’d never...and he seemed okay with waiting.” She sighed. “He’ll probably just find another girl on the side, right?”

“I wouldn’t hold my breath,” Vanessa smiled. “He seems happy with you.”

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[blueanddeepblue]

10/6

I've seen my dad once in the last seven years. We haven't spoken in the past year and a half. We're not even Facebook friends. When I came home from college one semester with a Rolling Stones CD with the song Bitch on it, he told me either the CD had to go, or I did. Before that, when I left for college, he told me I was throwing away a god-given gift by not playing college basketball. He may have been right about that one. ----- Right now A and I are sitting in the car in the middle of the Sturgeon River National Wilderness in Michigan's Upper Peninsula escaping the weather. Our tent is holding fast; it is both dry and secure, but I've spent too much of the past 24 hours losing to A at gin rummy to want to be trapped in there any longer. Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 15 is playing on the car radio, and we've reached the climax. Earlier, we ate dinner underneath a tarp in the cold and rain. Dinner was absolutely stellar. There were moments before the rain, as I got the fire going and A prepped our dinner, where the sun came out for a rare appearance, shooting light up towards the gold and red of oaks and birches and maples beginning their fall display. Our camp is along a bend in the river five miles down a dirt road, and we're the only campers here for the second night running. The solitude of the forest is immense after the din of tourists at several of our previous Michigan stops. Today when I went to rinse a dish in the river, a Bald Eagle flushed from his perch and A yelled "Up, up, up!" until I heard her above the babble of the rapids and looked to see him rise over the pines and out of sight. ----- I think some small portion of my love for birding is due to my dad. He would always point out hawks as he was driving, ducking his head so he could get a clearer vantage point beneath the windshield. I'm not sure he took much interest in birds in general, but he showed the excitement of a child whenever a hawk made a highway appearance. When he drove, he always had a toothpick to chew on, a holdover from his smoking days, which I never realized was the case until I quit smoking two and a half years ago. On the dashboard, he'd also keep a comb with all the rounded bristles knocked off so to better scratch his head as he drove. I don't remember him ever getting a traffic ticket. And one of his claims to fame was that he was never in a car accident, not even a fender bender. It's hard not to write about him in the past-tense. Sometimes I feel like the part of my life that had him in it was eons ago, and I was a different person. Now, when the family gets together for christmas, it feels whole and healthy, it doesn't feel like there's a missing piece; it feels like a weight has been lifted. But of course, there's this hole that exists, somewhere, even though I know it's better this way. This past week, talking with my uncle, I noticed, how he too, referred to his brother in the past-tense. ----- One of my favorite parts about traveling is the people you encounter. The relationships that A and I have fostered along this trip are of a certain mettle only tempered through the road. In Virginia we see my friend, Ava, and her and Mike's new baby, Onyx. They live on a farm on the bend in a creek near the Appalachian Trail with chickens and a garden and a self-built sauna and diesel powered hot-tub. They are the type of people who inspire you to do. To find ways to improve your life by your own means. To build a treehouse or learn to fly a plane. To live according to your own rules and not be bound by cultural norms. Ava and I met in undergrad, on a study abroad trip in Mexico. I've kept several friends from that study abroad trip, maybe because forging a friendship in a place outside your comfort zone helps you know that miles-between don't really matter. I remember joining Ava and her family one time at a Gary P Nunn concert in Luckenbach, Texas. I remember eating BBQ and dancing and having too many drinks and laughing at it all, every one of us crammed into the same small hotel room afterwards. I remember being struck by how her parents could still talk amicably after divorce. How they could even laugh a little at each other. How experiences could be shared because they were family. Seeing Ava and her own family is beautiful. We eat french toast and drink too much coffee. Mike is already out on the tractor, discussing methods of hauling brush with a neighbor. We leave feeling torn, lingering longer than intended, wishing we could stay to help the small community that's gathered to help cut down trees and make space for Onyx's outdoor play area. In D.C., we meet up with A's friend, Rhonda. We crash on her couch and wander the town, being tourists and visitors. Rhonda shows us the nearby farmer's market, and spoils us with drinks and stories and delicious meals. Years ago, A used to nanny Rhonda's boys, who are 16 and 14 now, all grown up with deep voices and polite manners, as driven and intent as their mother. Rhonda is a burst of constant energy, a whirlwind of goodness.The kind of person who radiates action and fortitude. As most everyone in D.C. does, Rhonda works in government, balancing home life and the nearly impossible demands of her job. In the garden, she found a caterpillar capable of devouring an entire tomato plant in one night. According to the internet, the appropriate remedy for such a pest is to cut it in half with a knife. Rhonda opts to leave him out on the sidewalk in hopes the birds will find him a tasty morsel. On a nearby leaf, a similar caterpillar is discovered, immobile, and riddled with white wasp larvae devouring it from the inside out. The best practice for a caterpillar being devoured from the inside out is to leave it alone, let nature to do its bidding. There is a theme brewing, a pattern; here, too, a father (but not a husband) stays involved with his kids, cajoles them about their homework, takes them rock climbing. ----- Later, in Pennsylvania, we stay two nights with my best friends' mom, Ann, and her husband Rocky. They live on a farm in the hills surrounded by cornfields and little villages with picturesque churches down winding country roads. When the wind blows, the corn rustles like the rattling of hollow bones, like a million wind chimes made of old newspaper. We have dinner on the patio overlooking the garden and the 100 year old barn and the next-door church and cemetery. We eat mussels and caprese and Rocky's own Golumpki recipe. Rocky and Ann regale us with stories of sailing adventures and hiking trips, tales of family and old friends, and opinions on politics and philosophy and life. I tend to wax poetic. Rocky tells good jokes. Evening on the patio turns into night and new bottles of wine keep appearing. It feels like home away from home. The next day we kayak on a nearby lake and lunch by a waterfall. The trip is also beginning to revolve around waterfalls. When we paddle back, there is a kingfisher and a little green heron and I can imagine the lake when the leaves fall. How it turns into a liquid carpet of gold and orange and red that the boat cuts through like a knife. In New York, we eat pho and gawk at passerby. Chinatown flows by, and we're mesmerized once again by the energy and the pace. New York is a city of no limits, no boundaries. In many ways, you are invisible. Always, everywhere, there is someone louder, more stylish, crazier, more artistic, or more outlandish than you. We stop to see A's friend who's opening a gallery. Later, we stay in the Bronx with my friend Jill, whose wife, Jess, is out of the country helping with hurricane relief. We share a dinner and beers and conversation, the three pillars of almost every good interaction. I fall asleep astounded at the goodness of people, at the way my life is surrounded by amazing people, humbled by the hospitality we're shown stop after stop. ----- My dad was 31 when I came along. In pictures from this era he appears rugged and handsome. He wears cut-off jean shorts and waterskis, barefoot, on some Texas lake, maybe even Canyon Lake, where I grew up. His hair is dark and wavy, and his eyes flicker a mystery, belying the thrill of speed, the roar of a powerboat, the splash of the wake against a barreled chest, strong arms. The pictures themselves have the golden tint of years past, the nostalgic glow of easy living. In one set of pictures, he sports a thick mustache and throws a football to friends. He drinks beer from the types of cans that advertisers have brought back into vogue now that enough time has lapsed, now that the trends have come full circle and they can again benefit from the aesthetics of collective memory. I did not know this version of my father. The one who lived easily among friends. The one who drank beer and waterskied and rode motorcycles and found ways to live fast and large. Or maybe I should say I did not often know this version of my father. Maybe these pictures of him are really card tricks, fanciful sleight-of-hand maneuvers that the mind plays on perception. Maybe the amber-tinged version of my dad is a mythology I've constructed, a story I've built up over the years to protect myself, to help explain why he's faded into the background of my life. Instead, I knew the version of my dad who couldn't handle it when the toothpaste wasn't rolled up from the bottom or the laundry didn't make it into the correct bin. The version who pulled us from sunday school because the message wasn't strong enough. Who changed the channel when beer commercials came on. Who had few friends that seemed to last. Who felt slighted and wronged by the world. Whose eyes shot sideways and clouded over with righteousness when he was begging to lose control. This too, is an illusion, a shifting myth tinged by the murkiness of memory. He also laughed at himself, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He took us fishing and played basketball with us, even though he grew up near Detroit, Michigan, where hockey is the sport of nobility, the sport his Texan kids would never quite comprehend. He wrestled on the floor with us or made himself into a launchpad at the pool, hurling us up and out across the water until we imagined ourselves to be birds, spaceships, shooting stars. ----- Here is a partial list of birds that A and I have seen thus far: Black-Throated Green Warbler Yellow Billed Cuckoo White Breasted Nuthatch Pileated Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Black Buzzard Eastern Wood Peewee American Goldfinch Hooded Warbler Dark Eyed Junco Golden Crowned Kinglet Red Breasted Nuthatch Canada Goose House Sparrow Raven Grey Jay Green Heron Cedar Waxwing Blue Jay Belted Kingfisher Pine Warbler Northern Flicker Red Tailed Hawk Red Bellied Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Robin Wild Turkey Crow Eastern European Starling Great Blue Heron Tufted Titmouse Brewers Blackbird Yellow Rumped Warbler Black Capped Chickadee Brown Thrasher Bald Eagle Wood Duck American Redstart Turkey Vulture White Throated Sparrow Least Flycatcher Ruby Crowned Kinglet Common Loon Hermit Thrush Northern Mockingbird Some of these are new birds, like the Hermit Thrush and American Redstart, birds that flash new color and make us hold our breath, or others that require we lean in to see the subtlety, those that mystify through the mundane. Some are as familiar as friends - a Kinglet among the underbrush. Other times, we jump to our binoculars at the flash of movement among the trees, against the sky, only to be disappointed by another mangy robin, another buzzard riding the thermals along the cliffs. We camp along every single one of the Great Lakes, marveling at the oceans of fresh water, at the gentle pulse of the waves lapping the shore or at the rainbow of color among the rounded stones. We stand underneath the falls at Niagara and on the boat that takes us in closer to where the mist shoots like needles into our eyes, where the sound is deafening as eternal thunder. Along the shores of Lake Michigan, we haul our camp chairs to the beach and look at the Milky Way among the night sky. We drink box wine and watch the fog roll in. Later, we swim in Superior, clear as glass all the way down to our toes. We emerge fresh and alive, reborn. We also run away from the biting flies, layer up to avoid the gnats, the mosquitos. Nature churns on according to its own whims. We're merely visitors here. ----- So much has gone by that I can't cram into this post. So many thoughts and feelings slipped through the cracks. Elusive. Flitted away. Things I glimpsed but that I could not identify. Ways to cinch the threads on this loose narrative. I am sitting in my sister's home in downtown Minneapolis. My niece is building blocks on the living room floor in front of me. I am aware that she is where the secret exists. That the most important person should always be the one right in front of me. That these memories I revisit and these things I chronicle are also fleeting. My sister and her husband have a wonderful family. The nieces share and play together wonderfully. Their home is wonderful and the meals we share around the table are wonderful. It's grey and rainy on the streets right now, but the warmth inside this home seems to stem from something deeper than an efficient central air system. My brothers camped with us in New York. We swam in the lake and fed spiders to the fish below the dock, watching them emerge from the depths like in the best Attenborough documentaries. We hiked around the lake. We watched a sunset explode over the hills behind us. We shared a fire and ate s'mores. We drank beers and swapped stories as the fog rolled in. I'm proud of my little brothers, who are bigger than me and have been for quite some time. I'm proud of their decisions and the people they've become - solid, thoughtful, caring, and articulate. I'm proud of their ability to grow up. Proud of their tenacity and perseverance. Proud of the kindness that seems innate. I'm proud of them. I'm proud of them all. My sister and brother back in Texas who aren't as much a part of this story merely because this trip and their paths have not yet intersected. I'm proud of the family we've become. The people we are. ----- There are no tidy endings here. No clean conclusions. Narratives seek a wrap-up, a way of putting all the pieces back together, but this is real life; it is neither as messy, nor as poetic as I make it seem in this account. I know that Dad is a part of the family we've become. I know that he, too, has much to be proud of. That he, too, should look at his grown children and see their success as part of his own. But I also know that he is broken. As all people share in brokenness. And that his brokenness keeps him from sharing in our success. Keeps him from calling, or writing, or staying meaningfully involved in any of our lives. In Michigan, we met up with Dad's brother and his wife. We kayaked down the Au Sable river and stayed at their home along the shores of Lake Huron. We slept with windows open to the sound of a lapping lake and woke to sunrises made of gold and fire. I wasn't planning on writing any of this. Not really. But somewhere along the dirt roads of the Upper Peninsula, or while passing a ski boat towed by an eager truck, or while walking on a sandy beach of Huron (all of these places of Dad's own childhood, fragments of the stories I remember him telling), or maybe even before all that, maybe before the trip began, I noticed a thread. Somewhere in all this space and beauty, somewhere in the rush of a waterfall, in the purple of a flower, somewhere between hiking-strides or in the sweep of a vista, I noticed a memory that hasn't quite yet finished playing itself out. A memory that is stranger still because it holds no finality, because there is still a chance at redemption, at a happy ending. So I'll put this here, mostly for my own benefit, like a soup simmering on low, to come back to at a later time. When I'm ready. And I'll walk with the realization that life isn't passed on, it's shared. That beauty is right in front of you, inviting you to get down and share with someone, inviting you to pick up the pieces and build something.

[neverisalongtime-ja-blog]

Chapter 14: Italy

First of all: sorry for uploading the chapter later than I normally use to do it. You all can’t even imagine how hard my day has been!!

But here it is! I hope you all enjoy it and don’t forget the feed back!

Remember to follow Anastasia on Instagram if you wanna knoe more about her and her fictional life!

Anastasia_Truman

Much love to you all! ❤️️

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Read chapter 13

The next morning Anastasia was woken up by Josh kissing her. She felt his lips on her forehead, then on her cheeks, on her neck, on her shoulders and on her chest. She arranged her body so he could cover more space.

-          What are you doing? – She asked trying to open her eyes.

-          You looked so lovely and so sexy with my t shirt I couldn’t resist – Josh said without stopping the kisses.

-          What time is it? – Anastasia asked.

-          Almost eleven.

-          It’s so late! I told Mandy I was going to lunch with her – She jumped out of the bed.

-          But honey!

-          Oh my God, did you just call me honey? – Anastasia started to laugh – That is the sweetest thing ever!

-          Does that make you come back to bed?

-          No, I really need to leave. We fly tonight back to Europe and I haven’t packed anything yet. You should do the same – Anastasia said while getting dressed – I love you – she leaned to Josh to kiss him – See you at LAX tonight.

After a pit stop at her house to get a shower and a quick change of clothes, she met her friend at a nice sushi place.

-          I haven’t seen you in like two days – Mandy said seating back after hugging her friend – Don’t do this to me again.

-          I have good news – Anastasia said – Josh called me “Honey” today.

-          Wow, another step forward in this delightful relationship – Mandy laughed.

-          Yeah but last night was like a hundred steps back – Anastasia proceeded to tell Mandy everything that happened at the concert the night before.

-          But he did defend you, huh? – Mandy asked.

-          Yeah, but it still worries me. What if he is thinking right now “You know what? My friends are right and that girl is a child and dumb”? We even had issues about the “fame” thing before.

-          You are a grown ass woman.

-          He is 10 years older than me, Mandy.

-          So what? Valentine was almost eight years older.

-          And you all called him “Grandpa”.

-          That was funny – Mandy said laughing loud - The important thing is that he slept next to you at the end of the night. You two should take advantage of this leg of the tour; we are going to places like Spain, Italy and France. I know we’re all gonna be working but go out and do some romantic stuff.

Another flight had to be taken and Anastasia could not stand the anxiety. For her luck, this time Josh was in the seat next to hers, holding her hand and trying to find any conversation topic so she could forget where she was. She appreciated the intention but she just couldn’t block the fear from her mind, she really hated planes.

-          I really like your t shirt today – Josh said to Anastasia. She was wearing a white t shirt with the phrase “Born a bad seed” on it. She looked at her t shirt and then to Josh and smiled.

-          I was a bad seed for real – she said laughing a little.

-          I don’t believe that – Josh said.

-          You only know the composite Anastasia, the one that tries to behave. Years ago, I wasn’t like this. I was wild.

-          How wild?

-          I went out every night, drank a lot and attended class drunk in high school or with a hangover, terrible. I never did drugs but I used to drink a lot! Like almost every day.

-          Was there a reason for that?

-          Looking back it was for stupidity. I was young and thought I had the world in my hands until one day I realize I didn’t want to have it anymore.

-          When did everything change?  

-          I graduated from High School and I realized that my life was going nowhere and I didn’t want to be like other kids I knew that lived on their parent’s money all their lives. I wanted to do something for myself to myself and I got very bored of that “Hollywood Life”.

-          But you work since very young, according to Anthony.

-          Yes, I did backup vocals and played instruments in other people’s records, I did some modeling jobs as well but nothing fed my soul and I spent all the money in alcohol, parties and unnecessary travels. I paid college with part of my heritance and all the money I made from then on I’ve been controlling it. I don’t deny that I still like buying expensive shit but I’ve been able to maintain myself without touching my dad’s money.

-          Proud to hear that.

-          What about you?

-          Well I didn’t finish High School, that kind of education wasn’t for me, I don’t need to say that I didn’t go to College neither – Josh looked to the floor, embarrassed.

-          That’s ok. I know a lot of people that are amazingly successful without passing through a class room. I went to college because it was something I wanted to do and I studied music so it wasn’t a big deal.

-          Back to your wild days – Josh started to say looking to Anastasia’s face – Were you wild with boys too?

-          Do you really want to know that?

-          I guess I can handle it. We are getting to know each other.

-          We did everything backwards: had sex, became a couple and we’re now getting to know each other, that’s not the right order – Josh smiled and shrugged – I wasn’t that wild because I was fortunate enough to grow up in a house were sex wasn’t a taboo subject, Barbara and even my father always talked to me straight and gave me real good sexual education so I didn’t had to get around trying to find it on my own and making mistakes.

-          It’s amazing to know that. Can I ask you at what age did you lose your virginity?

-          You already asked – Anastasia laughed, she was actually starting to forget she was on a plane – I was 16.

-          Ok – Josh was silent for a few seconds – I was 19.

-          Well those were other times, like older times.

-          Are you trying to suggest that I am old? – Both laughed – Did you love him? Your first guy?

-          No.

-          You didn’t hesitate. Why you did it? Don’t you think that moment should be special?

-          No. I wanted to do it and I did it. For me sex and making love are two different things. Sex is natural, it’s biological, your body asks for it and when you do it with a person you really love it turns into love making. I hadn’t made love with anybody until you – Josh was visibly shocked.

-          So, in a way, I’m your first – He finally said. Anastasia laughed.

-          If you want to see it that way, yes, you are.

Spain was delightful for everyone. Anastasia had forgotten how much she loved Spain. Even though nobody had any time to properly visit Madrid and Barcelona she managed to sneak with Josh to some museums. They visited Prado Museum which was a mandatory date for Anastasia every time she was in Madrid to look at her favorite painting: The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. Josh was thrilled by the fact she liked art as much as him. The best thing about their stay in Spain? Josh’s birthday. Anastasia didn’t forgot it and she had a custom dark blue ombre D'Angelico guitar for him.

-          When did you order this? – Josh said to Anastasia looking at the guitar like a kid looks at a candy bar.

-          About two months ago. They just changed the neck, I made them put a thin neck; how you like it – She said smiling at the panorama – Do you like it?

-          Are you serious? I love it! – Josh played a little – And its dark blue, like your hair, I’ll always remember you when I play this guitar.

-          Is that a good thing?

-          Is a great thing – Josh left the guitar aside and locked lips with his girlfriend, pressing their foreheads and smiling together after kissing.

In Barcelona all they did was eat. In Zurich all they did was drink beer. In Italy they could finally have some time alone, but it was very short. They got to walk in Bologna but things got a little bit weird when the fans found Josh and started to get around the hotel. There weren’t a lot of luxury hotels in that city so everyone stayed at the same place. Some local wine company invited both bands to a wine tasting at the village vineyards. It was a good opportunity for Mandy and Anastasia to finally wear decent fancy clothes and, lucky for them, Dolce & Gabbana gave them a lot of clothes to wear on stage and on the Italian tour. Anastasia opted for a pair of bright blue stilettos and a mini red dress with flowers.

-          It feels so good wear high heels after all this time – Mandy told Anastasia at the vineyard. Her friend agreed with a big smile.

The vineyard visit was more fun than everyone thought it would be, and in no time everyone was tipsy, especially Josh. While everyone was seated around a big wooden table, Josh took his place very close to Anastasia. They were on a corner and not easily visible for the rest of the people. Anastasia was having a conversation with Anthony when she felt Josh hand on her back and the other hand on her inner thigh. She took advantage of a moment Anthony turned his head to ask Josh “What the hell are you doing?” He just smiled and kissed her shoulder while his hand was covering more space on her thigh under the big wooden table. That turned her on really fast and she started to smile nervously. His fingers reached her underwear and she looked at Josh and told him to stop. He just smiled and ignored her, his fingers reaching inside her underwear. She couldn’t handle it anymore, looked at Josh with a stoic face and again told him to stop. He realized she was serious about it and left it at that. Drunk Josh was wild in sex, as Anastasia found out that night.

The next day, Anastasia, Anthony and a couple of his friends were outside their hotel grabbing lunch in a near pasta place. They were having a conversation about how many of the Italian restaurants in LA were fake when she felt some cold liquid on her chest and a hit of something hard before hearing two girls scream from a motorcycle “Leave Josh alone, slut”. The girls, of course, didn’t stop the motorcycle and Anastasia didn’t want to know what those girls threw at her. Anthony grabbed her and took her to her room while showing his anger with words. That night at the concert the vibe was weird and the crowd didn’t get along with Dead Curse. In that crowd there was another group of girls with signs that had written phrases showing their discomfort with her relationship with Josh. Both of them had tried to keep it the most low profile possible but Internet finds it all in the end. Some Josh fans weren’t happy with her and that was clear.

-          I can’t believe that – Josh was mad that night in his hotel room.

-          Calm down. I’ve been in this position before.

-          But they had no right to throw things at you in the street.

-          When I dated Jacob he was in the middle of a famous movie saga in England and you have no idea how many death threats I received. Even to this day. I don’t really care and you shouldn’t give so much attention to it. Let’s keep all this thing low, all right?

-          Ok. Can I kiss you right now? – Josh said placing his face really close to Anastasia.

-          Unless your fans are watching through the windows you can do whatever you want with me right now – She whispered to him.

Turin wasn’t different and Josh was getting anxious to see all those fans around their hotel every day. Anastasia tried to calm him down but it was useless, he only felt better at the venue. The concert in that city was strange also, the crowd was blank. The band didn’t complain, at the end they were only the opening act, people were there to see the Chili Peppers and that was clear for everyone. They ended the show very tired and after the Peppers did their magic on stage they came back to the hotel together.

Anastasia and Mandy walked to their room but once there they warned that their room door was half open.

-          Did you leave the door open? – Anastasia asked Mandy.

-          No, maybe it was housekeeping – She said and aimed to enter but Anastasia took her arm.

-          No! Wait. Do not enter; let’s call Gunham - Their bodyguard.

Gunham, a big muscle blonde guy with tattoos on his arms and a deep voice, came right away and entered the room. The girls, in the aisle, heard a couple of noises and a small scream. Then some hotel staff showed up. The girls knew something happened, something bad and Gunham affirmed it to them.

-          There was a guy inside, he was searching through your clothes – Anastasia and Mandy looked at each other and they began to tremble – But it’s all right now, I grabbed him and the staff is holding him until the police arrive. I don’t think is a good idea for you two to enter, so stay here.

Mandy called her brother who appeared real fast with Eric and Josh, who held Anastasia in a tight hug.

-          What happened? – Nick asked.

-          An and I saw the door opened and we got afraid to enter so we called Gunham to come and check it out and he found a guy inside – Mandy explained.

-          What was he doing there? – Eric asked this time.

-          I don’t know… I’m just shocked – Mandy said again.

-          Are you ok? – Josh said holding Anastasia’s face with both hands. She nodded and he kissed her on her forehead and hugged her again.

Gunham came out of the room again and told them he was going to take care of the situation, but he didn’t want the girls to be there so the boys decided to take them to Nick and Eric’s room, and later the police would talk to them. The news spread and soon Anthony, Chad, Flea and Carl were on the boy’s room too.

-          I really could go there and punch that guy in the face – Anthony said.

-          What was he doing there? – Flea asked.

-          No one knows yet – Eric answered.

Josh didn’t let Anastasia go of his arms the whole time. The police called them and took the girls back into their room; the intruder was already in police custody. When the girls saw their room they started to cry because of the scene. Everything was a mess, their clothes were scattered all over the place, even their underwear. The police asked to turn on their laptops and see if anything was wrong with them. After a check by the technological police team they confirmed that the guy didn’t touch their computers. The agents took some evidence and left three hours later, leaving the girls alone in that room with that disaster.

The guy was a Mandy fan that thought he could get more of the bass player, and checked and touched all of hers and Anastasia’s clothes because he couldn’t figure out which belonged to whom. When Gunham found him he was grabbing Mandy’s underwear. The mere thought of that scene made the friends ill and Mandy couldn’t stop crying the whole time. The pink haired girl slept in her brother’s room and Anastasia went to sleep in Josh’s room that night after they cleaned the mess. Josh was so angry and so concerned. His protective attitude proved Anastasia that he was very serious about her, but she was still in shock about the intruder to think about anything else.

The morning after that terrible episode Anastasia woke up feeling everything was a nightmare. She opened her eyes and saw Josh watching her, playing with her hair.

-          Good morning – He said to her.

-          Am I still dreaming? – She said looking at Josh’s face with a tender smile on her lips.

-          How do you feel today? – Josh asked.

-          I’m still trying to process these days in Italy. They have been weird.

-          Yeah I’ve been thinking about that.

-          Me too. Last night I couldn’t sleep.

-          Why didn’t you wake me up?

-          You have done a lot already.

-          I don’t want you suffering alone.

-          Do you think that our relationship could affect your career?  - Anastasia suddenly asked, leaving Josh silent.

-          Honestly, I don’t know. Obviously people know about it and I think that we should take distance when we’re be in public – Josh words got into Anastasia’s heart like blades.

-          You were the one trying to masturbate me on a wine tasting the other day.

-          I’m sorry. I just don’t want to see my name in some pink gossip website – “There he goes again”, Anastasia thought.

-          We are at it again, aren’t we? – Anastasia didn’t think the words that were about to come out of her mouth – You know what? Maybe we aren’t meant to be together.

-          What are you saying? – Josh asked sitting up on the bed.

-          What do you want to do about us?

-          I don’t understand – Josh said and Anastasia got up from the bed.

-          I don’t want to make more decisions because I always choose wrong – she said while putting her shoes and started to walk to the door.

-          That’s what you do? You run away from everything? That’s your thing – Josh said still from the bed.

Anastasia listened to him but didn’t stop, she slammed the door on her way out, like a little brat girl; she left the place and walked to her own room without looking back. She thought Josh was gonna get along with all the fame thing but it was far from the truth. He still had problems with that and, honestly, she couldn’t do anything to solve the problem, it was something way out of her hands. She suddenly got angry. She was the one receiving hits in the streets and insults from his fans and he just had the nerve to say he didn’t wish to be part of the tabloids. The weird thing was that nothing about their relationship had been reviewed by the press yet. Her moods had been changing wildly in the last days and she knew that leaving Josh’s room had been wrong, but the only thing she wanted to do that day was to get on a plane and get the hell out Italy.

Read chapter 15

[oceanmutt16-blog]

13 Super Powerful Ways to Motivate Your Child to Practice Music    

Feel back to once you have been in school. You had your academic courses and your after-school pursuits. You knew your everyday routine: Math, English, Science, and so forth. Then after college: piles of endless homework!

With a great number of different topics, it is no wonder adding time for you to practice music can seem like a burden to a kid. That’s in which you are available in - you are able to enable shift your child’s mindset!

What’s the bottom line? It’s up to you to help your youngster see music inside a various light!

As an alternative to treating music like any other topic, produce a distinction so your youngster sees music as a little something she or he wishes to do. The best strategy to shift your child’s mindset is to let him or her perform an instrument they’re really interested in.

“If you desire your kid to become motivated to perform an instrument, music should be various than other educational subjects,” says Bobby K. from Guitar Chalk. “Your kid shouldn’t see music as being a forced discipline, like Math or Geography. This ultimately comes down to choosing the best instrument, which can be likely to be the one particular the little one is excited about and really wants to play on his or her very own.

“For me, that was the guitar, which had me training (voluntarily) three to four hrs daily at 11 many years previous. That couldn’t have took place with piano because piano wasn’t “my” instrument. It was just an additional topic. But guitar was unique in that it felt like perform, not school work. Finding your youngster right into a similar condition, in which their instrument doesn’t really feel like just an additional college topic, is absolutely important. If it’s not taking place, that may be a signal that it’s time for you to switch instruments.”

This also means it's possible you'll need to be flexible. Though it can be pricey to permit a youngster to begin and end many distinct actions, try and operate with her or him to uncover one particular she or he enjoys and it is intrinsically motivated to practice.

Like this tip? Click here to tweet it. 

Place Your Youngster in Management It’s no secret that when we’re informed to do something, we do not normally wish to do it. Throughout the course of the day, there are many unique persons (moms and dads, teachers, older siblings, coaches) telling children what to perform. Include music to that checklist and it is no wonder motivation seems to dwindle!

Combat this trouble by putting your child in manage. Allow him or her establish the practice schedule, that way they are extra likely to stick with it.

“Kids hear adults inform them what to do all the time; to catch their attention, allow them prepare their own practice schedule,”  says Nicole Weiss, LCSW Psychotherapist and Coach. “Start with all the finish in thoughts. Fundamentally, you would like to get your little one to generate the selection that she or he requirements to practice in order that she or he can perform the way he or she really wants to play. Following the decision is manufactured, the parent can help the child investigation and determine how usually a very good musician practices. The child then sets a schedule based on the reality that, to be great, 1 need to practice.”

Not only will this permit your youngster to come to feel a sense of handle, it can also aid him or her to learn the value of practice.

“The child can make the routine, then the mother or father reinforces it,” Weiss says. “I’m positive several dad and mom reading this would say…’yeah but will they do that daily?’ That is exactly where you come in - but you might have additional excess weight within your reminder. It was the child’s want to generate the purpose. Furthermore, the reward should really be for accomplishing tiny ambitions. One example is: ‘practice every single evening this week and we can download that song you wish.’ Reward the work.”

Additional: Motivate Your Child to Practice That has a Reward Program

Enable Your Kid Fully grasp the Present of Music Demonstrate your child that playing a musical instrument is usually a exclusive privilege and a chance that is not automatically out there to everybody. Teach your youngster to value music and all it's to offer. Assist them discover that music can boost their life.

“I feel that we’re right here within this planet to accomplish great things using the gift of our lives, and we’re here to serve many others,” says Heather F. from Music for Youthful Violinists. “Learning to play [the violin] helps us in the two of those regions - we’re drawn up into a amount of greatness via the discipline required to review this art form, and within this system, we cultivate a present that we can share with other individuals.”

This also includes helping your kid develop a like for music. Get them to concerts or shows, play music in the home, and help them find out what they like.

Quite a few grownups wish they'd stuck with a pastime or endeavor they begun as being a child, like enjoying a musical instrument. Although this may be a challenging concept for youthful kids to grasp, teaching them to enjoy music will help them understand why practice is very important.

As outlined by this post from MusicTeachersHelper on motivating students to practice, “…I can not count how many times I’ve heard adults say to me, ‘I quit taking piano when I was younger and it had been such a blunder. I wish I could go back and consider lessons once more.’ Moms and dads will help children know the worth that musical talent brings to society.”

Really do not Make Practice an Obligation This one particular might seem to be somewhat counterintuitive, right? Right after all, you’ve invested the money in an instrument and lessons, so you want your child for making quite possibly the most of it. Plus, in case your son or daughter really wants to be superior, he or she demands to practice!

The important thing here would be to not make practice seem to be like an obligation, as in contrast to other entertaining pursuits. For example, if your son or daughter loves to perform video games or perform outside, do not let him or her to accomplish this until finally soon after finishing practice.

Utilizing a pleasurable activity being a reward will develop the mindset that practice may be the obligation that stands in the means of the pleasurable exercise, and this could generate resentment or dread for practice.

As Why We Educate Piano suggests, “Don’t set an arbitrary amount of practice time, without unique aims, and after that reward them with playtime or video video games afterwards. This just reinforces the notion that playing piano is just not fun and video games are pleasurable.”

Program Performances When it comes to any sport, pastime, or endeavor, it is important to keep your eye over the prize. Exactly the same point applies in terms of your youngster learning an instrument; your son or daughter needs to possess a target in sight, otherwise, she or he might query the want to practice.

“If you should continue to keep college students engaged and excited about their music training, make sure they are doing persistently throughout the 12 months,” says Anthony M. founder and writer of the Music Parents’ Guidebook. “There are other profound effects on additional scheduled performances for all school applications, also. We, as mothers and fathers and teachers, have to have to foster a growing curiosity as well as an excitement about music in our children’s lives. Steady performances are the ideal strategy to do this and continue to encourage our youngsters.”

It will get greater:

Not simply do performances assistance to improve excitement, in addition they function to hold kids accountable. Request any music instructor - even one of the most unmotivated pupil are going to be more very likely to practice if it means avoiding embarrassment at a recital!

Allow Your Child Select Just because you loved enjoying piano as being a child does not imply your little one will love taking part in just as significantly. Your little one could have other interests, and it’s important to permit her or him to explore distinctive endeavors.

“First of all, I believe it’s important the youngster opt for the instrument they’re going to discover,” says Matt T. from Unlock the Guitar. “I’m a guitarist, and I’d like practically nothing more than my son to get thinking about learning guitar, but he’s undeniably drawn for the piano. Plus, if an instrument is thrust on them, training it will also be thrust on them. Letting the youngster pick the instrument turns this on its head, and into your favor, even if they did not pick out the instrument you'd have liked them to play.”

Be Their Cheerleader Let your youngster know you’re his or her largest fan, specifically early on when your youngster may come to feel frustrated or discouraged.

Eighty-eight notes school of music suggests listening for your little one in your own home as normally as you can and producing encouraging remarks about their progress. Also, make sure to request them how their lessons went.

Take a real interest inside your child’s musical journey. Your son or daughter is going to be enthusiastic to perform for you personally and present off new skills!

Aid Them Engage With Music Your kid is additional probable to practice music if he or she feels linked to the process. Assistance your son or daughter develop an interest and curiosity for music.

To assist your child remain engaged, come to be a a part of the procedure. Whatever you are able to do to acquire concerned is likely to increase their curiosity and determination.

“Motivating your little one by reward or punishment will end functioning incredibly rapidly; as an alternative, enable your little one get curious about music and build an inner need to engage with music,” says Jonas G., the founder of flowkey.”Let your little one perform all around with diverse instruments. Listen to music and sing with each other. Your little one will naturally wish to imitate you, so a big determination for small children to practice is seeing their parents engage with music themselves.”

Generate Difficulties Rather than telling your youngster to practice, help her or him set unique objectives and problems. This will help them progress more rapidly for the reason that they’ll function on accomplishing certain duties or mastering distinct capabilities. This strategy may be utilized to any instrument.

Practiceopedia author and practice specialist, Philip J., features a wholly various consider: “Don’t inquire your kids to ‘practice’ - they will not understand what to perform. As a substitute, give them bite-sized, clear difficulties to complete: (1) Function out a fingering for measures 24-35 (two) Gradually pace up segment B to 85bpm. (three) Be capable of perform the left hand in the coda from memory.”

Owning difficulty coming up using the suitable challenge? Examine out Phillip’s web site, thebootcampedition.com, to get a substantial assortment.

Celebrate ALL Accomplishments Discovering to perform an instrument can be a long journey total of peaks, valleys, and plateaus. Although you will certainly be proud after you observe your youngster perform, it is crucial to celebrate the little victories along the way in which.

While verbal praise is very important, you could also desire to develop yet another solution to celebrate achievements; familyshare suggests retaining a journal of the child’s accomplishments. If you place it in writing, you are much less probable to forget. If journaling isn’t your matter, you are able to continue to keep a white board over the fridge, or produce a chart you can show inside the house!

Celebrating the minor victories will help your youngster retain a beneficial perspective when they’re struggling or obtaining trouble tackling a new concept or song.

Let Them Play Music They Like Even though there are actually normally particular signature songs and classics for numerous instruments, your youngster will drop curiosity if he or she doesn’t just like the music they’re taking part in.

Function together with your child’s teacher to create certain your little one is taking part in some music they definitely take pleasure in.

According to the Academy of Music and Dance, “As kids get to become close to ten many years outdated, at times younger, they start to create preferences for musical style, largely influenced by radio, Television, and whatever they are most exposed to at home. They'll also generally gravitate to whatever their mates are listening to, in particular for boys at all-around age 13 and women around age eleven.”

Use this as a motivational technique; allow your son or daughter to play not less than a single acquainted song as part of their weekly schedule.

Make Practice Exciting This need to come as no shock - nobody wants to practice when it’s uninteresting! Incorporate entertaining video games, actions, and challenges, along with your child will search forward to practice!

As outlined by PianoDiscoveries, “appropriate ambitions and optimistic reinforcement will make practicing fun and rewarding. Very couple of kids are self-motivated within their practice. Most need incentives and reminders to maintain them targeted and moving forward.”

Request your child’s music instructor for some inventive solutions to make practice far more entertaining!

Uncover the appropriate Teacher This brings us to our last method and a single from the most significant: come across the right instructor! While practice is completed outdoors of lessons, if your child connects with his or her instructor, they’re much more possible to practice on their particular time.

In accordance with Music Central,”…finding the right teacher will make or break the whole working experience. Do not be afraid to try out a whole new teacher if your youngster isn’t connecting. The ideal teachers are generally the ones who not merely educate, but know how for being a fantastic buddy and mentor for your kid.”

Locate a teacher who understands your child’s finding out style, as well as a individual who’s ready to educate concepts in a way that keeps your child interested. When your son or daughter likes their instructor, they’ll be much more prepared to consider direction and practice consistently.

Among the a lot of difficulties that parents face in dealing with children’s music lessons (choosing the instrument, locating a superior teacher, and so on.), obtaining youngsters to practice is the most daunting of all. The severity with the problem as well as the significance of practice make it hard to believe that there are so few content articles addressing this. What’s more, parents and music teachers normally resort to the failed techniques they recall from childhood in desperate attempts to inspire youngsters to practice. A prevalent example of this difficulty will be the “practice for 30 minutes” rule, through which a music instructor will advocate that the little one practice 30 minutes each day and frequently maximize this time because they get older. In attempts to enforce adherence to this arbitrary dedication, mother and father will typically “pay” the child for thirty minutes of “work” with some thing rewarding like watching Television, taking part in outdoors or taking part in video video games. The trouble with this approach is it helps make the 30 minutes of training a thing to become endured so as to do a thing that may be valued. But what exactly is so sacred about thirty minutes of practicing? The place did this conventional unit come from? How is it better than 27 minutes or 34? To transform practicing into a rewarding action, mothers and fathers should motivate reaching each day musical goals. For instance, as opposed to saying that 30 minutes of practice is enough irrespective of what exactly is attained, you could say, “Today the purpose of training is usually to perform the 1st eight measures of one's piece with no any blunders.” Whether or not reaching this objective takes 12 minutes or 40 minutes is not essential. What's important is the fact that the kid is aware of the musical target of every daily practice session and feels motivated for being as productive as you possibly can though training so as to attain that aim and truly feel that sense of accomplishment. If your target is taking part in the 1st eight measures on Monday, the logical objective for Tuesday is always to perform the following eight. Quite quickly, the little one will acknowledge the cumulative target of the week: to play the entire piece totally free of blunders. This leads to more inspiration, a lot more hard work during practice and most importantly, pride in what they've achieved. Whilst this strategy achieves greater good results, additionally, it needs additional effort through the mothers and fathers; it is quick to have a look at the clock and check thirty minutes, but goal-related training suggests setting each day ambitions for the small children, monitoring the ease or issues your youngster experiences with his music and setting new, far more demanding objectives. Really don't stress! Right here are some suggestions to assist you: Very first, divide the week’s intention or teacher’s expectations into seven equal components and make sure your youngster understands every a single. On some days, your youngster could pick out to function toward two days’ well worth of targets, in which situation, it’s sensible to give them the choice of skipping the following day’s practice session. Every day ambitions ought to be attended to every day and must involve taking part in scales or other technique-building abilities; advancement on unique pieces may be a lot more spread out, provided that the kid continues to move forward using the piece. When it may be tempting, don’t bargain with practice time. Though in striving to skip per day, your youngster could actually mean, “I will practice double tomorrow,” this sets the standard that practice time is negotiable. Progress must be measured and appropriately altered on a daily basis (if desired) by analyzing the amount of hard work, disappointment and completion/advancement in reaching the day-to-day objectives. Yes, this is often extra work than monitoring thirty minutes every day, but from the end, this may be easier than the agony of forcing kids to adhere for the mandatory 30 minutes of meager, unmotivated effort. It'll also make everyone’s lifestyle a little more fulfilling!

Maneira fácil de ensinar música para crianças https://gasriel-and-chara-dreemurr.tumblr.com/post/169708312176/treat-music-like-a-different-topic

[fragraham-blog]

13 Super Helpful Tips on how to Encourage Your Little one to Practice Music    

Think back to whenever you were in school. You had your academic courses and your after-school routines. You knew your every day routine: Math, English, Science, etc. Then just after school: piles of endless homework!

With a lot of various topics, it is no wonder including time to practice music can appear like a burden to a kid. That’s exactly where you are available in - you may assist shift your child’s mindset!

What’s the bottom line? It is up to you to aid your child see music in the unique light!

As opposed to treating music like any other topic, develop a distinction so your kid sees music as some thing he or she really wants to do. The top approach to shift your child’s mindset is to allow her or him perform an instrument they’re basically keen on.

“If you wish your child to get motivated to play an instrument, music needs to be different than other educational subjects,” says Bobby K. from Guitar Chalk. “Your youngster shouldn’t see music being a forced discipline, like Math or Geography. This in the end comes down to deciding upon the right instrument, that's likely to be the one particular the youngster is thrilled about and really wants to perform on her or his very own.

“For me, that was the guitar, which had me practicing (voluntarily) three to four hours every day at eleven years previous. That couldn’t have occurred with piano mainly because piano wasn’t “my” instrument. It was just a further topic. But guitar was various in that it felt like perform, not college get the job done. Having your child right into a equivalent scenario, wherever their instrument doesn’t really feel like just one more college topic, is totally significant. If it’s not taking place, that might be a signal that it is time for you to switch instruments.”

This also signifies you could possibly should be flexible. Though it can be expensive to allow a little one to begin and prevent several distinctive activities, try to get the job done with him or her to search out a single he or she enjoys and is intrinsically motivated to practice.

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Place Your Child in Control It’s no secret that when we’re advised to do one thing, we do not often want to do it. During the program of the day, there are many distinctive people (mothers and fathers, teachers, older siblings, coaches) telling little ones what to carry out. Include music to that listing and it is no wonder inspiration would seem to dwindle!

Fight this issue by putting your youngster in management. Allow him or her figure out the practice schedule, that way they are much more likely to stick to it.

“Kids hear adults tell them what to try and do all of the time; to catch their awareness, let them prepare their own practice schedule,”  says Nicole Weiss, LCSW Psychotherapist and Coach. “Start using the end in thoughts. Basically, you ought to get your kid to create the selection that he or she desires to practice to ensure she or he can play the way she or he wishes to play. After the determination is made, the mother or father can assist the little one research and discover how frequently a great musician practices. The little one then sets a routine according to the actuality that, for being very good, one must practice.”

Not only will this allow your little one to come to feel a sense of management, it will eventually also help him or her to understand the value of practice.

“The little one can make the routine, then the parent reinforces it,” Weiss says. “I’m absolutely sure several mother and father reading through this would say…’yeah but will they do that day to day?’ That is the place you can be found in - but you have got extra fat within your reminder. It was the child’s want to create the target. In addition, the reward should be for accomplishing tiny ambitions. Such as: ‘practice just about every evening this week and we will download that song you would like.’ Reward the operate.”

Extra: Encourage Your Youngster to Practice By using a Reward System

Aid Your Youngster Recognize the Present of Music Display your kid that taking part in a musical instrument is often a distinctive privilege and a chance that isn’t automatically readily available to anyone. Teach your little one to appreciate music and all it has to present. Aid them find out that music can increase their lifestyle.

“I believe that we’re here on this globe to carry out excellent factors together with the gift of our lives, and we’re here to serve other folks,” says Heather F. from Music for Younger Violinists. “Learning to perform [the violin] aids us in both of these regions - we’re drawn up right into a amount of greatness through the discipline essential to study this art kind, and in this procedure, we cultivate a present that we can share with many others.”

This also involves helping your little one build a enjoy for music. Get them to concerts or displays, perform music at your house, and aid them find out what they like.

Quite a few grownups want they'd caught that has a pastime or endeavor they begun like a child, like taking part in a musical instrument. While this will be a challenging idea for youthful kids to grasp, teaching them to appreciate music might help them recognize why practice is very important.

In accordance with this post from MusicTeachersHelper on motivating students to practice, “…I can not count how many times I’ve heard grownups say to me, ‘I quit taking piano when I was younger and it had been such a mistake. I wish I could go back and get lessons once more.’ Moms and dads can help kids know the worth that musical talent brings to society.”

Really don't Make Practice an Obligation This one may look a bit counterintuitive, correct? Immediately after all, you’ve invested the money in an instrument and lessons, and also you want your youngster to make essentially the most of it. Plus, in case your son or daughter wishes to be great, he or she requires to practice!

The key right here is to not make practice appear like an obligation, as in contrast to other enjoyable pursuits. One example is, in case your son or daughter loves to play video video games or play outside, do not let him or her to perform this right up until soon after finishing practice.

Using a exciting action as being a reward will generate the mindset that practice may be the obligation that stands within the way of the enjoyable activity, and this might create resentment or dread for practice.

As Why We Educate Piano suggests, “Don’t set an arbitrary quantity of practice time, without the need of certain aims, after which reward them with playtime or video games afterwards. This just reinforces the notion that playing piano is just not pleasurable and video games are pleasurable.”

Approach Performances In relation to any sport, hobby, or endeavor, it’s vital to maintain your eye on the prize. Precisely the same matter applies in terms of your kid studying an instrument; your son or daughter needs to have a target in sight, otherwise, she or he may possibly question the want to practice.

“If you should retain students engaged and excited about their music education, ensure that they’re performing consistently throughout the 12 months,” says Anthony M. founder and author from the Music Parents’ Guidebook. “There are other profound effects on extra scheduled performances for all college plans, likewise. We, as mothers and fathers and teachers, have to have to foster a rising curiosity and in many cases an excitement about music in our children’s lives. Consistent performances will be the best approach to do this and proceed to inspire our small children.”

It gets superior:

Not only do performances aid to increase excitement, in addition they work to hold children accountable. Inquire any music instructor - even by far the most unmotivated student will probably be extra most likely to practice if it implies staying away from embarrassment at a recital!

Allow Your Youngster Pick Just because you loved taking part in piano as a child doesn’t indicate your youngster will adore taking part in just as a lot. Your youngster could have other interests, and it is crucial to allow him or her to check out unique endeavors.

“First of all, I believe it is critical the little one opt for the instrument they’re gonna study,” says Matt T. from Unlock the Guitar. “I’m a guitarist, and I’d adore practically nothing in excess of my son for being enthusiastic about mastering guitar, but he’s undeniably drawn to the piano. Plus, if an instrument is thrust on them, training it will also be thrust upon them. Letting the little one pick out the instrument turns this on its head, and into your favor, even though they didn’t select the instrument you'd have liked them to perform.”

Be Their Cheerleader Let your youngster know you are his or her largest fan, especially early on when your child may perhaps come to feel annoyed or discouraged.

Eighty-eight notes school of music suggests listening to your kid at your home as usually when you can and creating encouraging remarks about their progress. Also, make sure to inquire them how their lessons went.

Consider a real interest with your child’s musical journey. Your son or daughter might be excited to perform for you personally and show off new techniques!

Support Them Engage With Music Your youngster is extra probable to practice music if he or she feels connected to your method. Assistance your son or daughter build an curiosity and curiosity for music.

To help your child remain engaged, come to be a a part of the method. No matter what you are able to do to acquire involved is likely to boost their curiosity and inspiration.

“Motivating your little one by reward or punishment will halt working very immediately; instead, enable your little one get curious about music and produce an inner wish to engage with music,” says Jonas G., the founder of flowkey.”Let your youngster perform all around with distinct instruments. Pay attention to music and sing with each other. Your child will naturally choose to imitate you, so a big inspiration for youngsters to practice is seeing their mother and father engage with music themselves.”

Build Challenges As opposed to telling your child to practice, assist her or him set unique goals and issues. This will likely support them progress speedier since they’ll do the job on accomplishing precise duties or mastering unique capabilities. This plan could be utilized to any instrument.

Practiceopedia author and practice expert, Philip J., includes a completely distinctive take: “Don’t request your young children to ‘practice’ - they will not know what to do. Rather, give them bite-sized, clear difficulties to complete: (one) Function out a fingering for measures 24-35 (two) Progressively speed up section B to 85bpm. (three) Be able to perform the left hand in the coda from memory.”

Obtaining problems coming up together with the proper challenge? Check out Phillip’s web page, thebootcampedition.com, for a big assortment.

Celebrate ALL Accomplishments Learning to play an instrument is really a prolonged journey full of peaks, valleys, and plateaus. When you will definitely be proud if you observe your kid perform, it is significant to celebrate the little victories along the way in which.

Though verbal praise is significant, you might also wish to build a further method to celebrate achievements; familyshare suggests retaining a journal of one's child’s accomplishments. Once you place it in writing, you’re less most likely to neglect. If journaling is not your thing, you may retain a white board about the fridge, or create a chart which you can display in the residence!

Celebrating the tiny victories can help your youngster keep a optimistic frame of mind when they are struggling or getting difficulty tackling a brand new concept or song.

Allow Them Perform Music They Like While you can find normally sure signature songs and classics for numerous instruments, your kid will drop interest if she or he doesn’t such as the music they are playing.

Get the job done together with your child’s instructor to make confident your little one is playing some music they actually take pleasure in.

Based on the Academy of Music and Dance, “As youngsters get to be around 10 many years previous, sometimes younger, they begin to produce preferences for musical design, largely influenced by radio, Television, and what ever they’re most exposed to at your home. They will also commonly gravitate to no matter what their mates are listening to, specifically for boys at close to age 13 and ladies all-around age eleven.”

Use this being a motivational system; allow your son or daughter to play at the very least a single familiar song as part of their weekly schedule.

Make Practice Enjoyable This need to come as no shock - no one desires to practice when it is uninteresting! Incorporate enjoyable games, actions, and challenges, and your little one will appear forward to practice!

As outlined by PianoDiscoveries, “appropriate ambitions and positive reinforcement will make training pleasurable and rewarding. Really number of youngsters are self-motivated in their practice. Most need incentives and reminders to help keep them centered and moving forward.”

Request your child’s music teacher for some artistic solutions to make practice more enjoyable!

Obtain the proper Teacher This brings us to our last tactic and one particular in the most critical: uncover the best teacher! Though practice is performed outside of lessons, in case your child connects with her or his teacher, they are significantly additional probable to practice on their own time.

In accordance with Music Central,”…finding the right teacher will make or break the whole knowledge. Really do not be afraid to consider a whole new instructor in case your youngster is not connecting. The most effective teachers are often the ones who not just teach, but know how for being an excellent buddy and mentor to your kid.”

Find a teacher who understands your child’s finding out style, as well as a person who’s ready to educate ideas in a way that keeps your little one interested. When your son or daughter likes her or his teacher, they’ll be far more willing to consider direction and practice constantly.

Among the various challenges that mothers and fathers encounter in dealing with children’s music lessons (picking out the instrument, finding a superior instructor, etc.), obtaining kids to practice is the most daunting of all. The severity on the dilemma and the relevance of practice make it hard to feel that you will discover so number of posts addressing this. What’s far more, moms and dads and music teachers generally resort to the failed techniques they keep in mind from childhood in desperate attempts to inspire youngsters to practice. A frequent illustration of this problem is definitely the “practice for thirty minutes” rule, in which a music instructor will suggest that the kid practice thirty minutes a day and normally maximize this time because they get older. In attempts to enforce adherence to this arbitrary commitment, mothers and fathers will usually “pay” the child for 30 minutes of “work” with one thing rewarding like watching Television, taking part in outdoors or taking part in video games. The situation with this particular process is the fact that it makes the thirty minutes of training some thing to get endured as a way to do a thing that is definitely valued. But what is so sacred about 30 minutes of practicing? In which did this standard unit come from? How is it much better than 27 minutes or 34? To transform training right into a rewarding activity, parents must encourage reaching daily musical targets. For instance, in lieu of saying that 30 minutes of practice is enough no matter precisely what is attained, you could say, “Today the target of training will be to perform the first eight measures of the piece without any errors.” No matter if reaching this intention will take twelve minutes or forty minutes isn’t important. What on earth is vital is the little one knows the musical objective of each each day practice session and feels motivated for being as productive as is possible although practicing so that you can attain that target and truly feel that sense of accomplishment. In the event the goal is playing the very first eight measures on Monday, the logical intention for Tuesday will be to play the following eight. Quite soon, the kid will acknowledge the cumulative objective in the week: to play the entire piece free of charge of problems. This prospects to much more motivation, much more hard work all through practice and most significantly, pride in what they've achieved. Whilst this strategy achieves better success, in addition, it demands more work by the mother and father; it is easy to check out the clock and monitor thirty minutes, but goal-related practicing suggests setting every day aims for your small children, monitoring the ease or issues your little one experiences with his music and setting new, more demanding aims. Really do not fear! Right here are some tips to help you: First, divide the week’s goal or teacher’s expectations into 7 equal elements and make sure your youngster understands just about every 1. On some days, your kid could pick to operate towards two days’ worth of aims, during which case, it’s sensible to offer them the choice of skipping the subsequent day’s practice session. Every day targets need to be attended to on a daily basis and ought to involve playing scales or other technique-building competencies; advancement on certain pieces is often additional spread out, so long as the child continues to move forward with the piece. Whilst it could be tempting, don’t bargain with practice time. Even though in attempting to skip a day, your little one may possibly truly suggest, “I will practice double tomorrow,” this sets the common that practice time is negotiable. Progress must be measured and appropriately altered daily (if essential) by analyzing the quantity of work, aggravation and completion/advancement in reaching the day-to-day targets. Yes, this is far more do the job than monitoring 30 minutes per day, but within the finish, this can be easier compared to the agony of forcing children to adhere to the mandatory 30 minutes of meager, unmotivated hard work. It is going to also make everyone’s life a bit more enjoyable!

Maneira fácil de ensinar música para crianças https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/blog769/journal/view/id/5a77e1162cd9af861fb98627

[purplesurveys]

194

Have you stayed up past 3 in the morning this week? No. I’ve turned ancient, I can’t even do that anymore. I automatically shut down by 11 PM. What does the soap you use smell like? Like...soap-y. It’s a basic soap smell. Do you prefer to wrap gifts or use gift bags? Paper bags because I never said I could wrap my presents. The last person you spoke to, do you know their eye color? Yeah, a vast majority of Filipinos have very dark brown eyes. The few ones who are different probably just have a little lighter shade of brown. Does anyone you know have their hair bleached? Yes, I think I know a couple people.

Is there anyone you know by the name of Frank? I don’t. Do you own a trenchcoat? No use for that here, so nope. Have you ever written with a pen that had pink ink? Sure. Do you remember the last thing you took a picture of? Heh, I took a photo of myself on the webcam. I had fire noodles yesterday and for some reason my skin always, always gets better when I eat spicy food so I took advantage of that and took some selfies hahahaha. From where you’re sitting, can you turn the lights off? I can’t. When was the last time you accidentally slept in? Last Wednesday. I stayed out late the night before and I couldn’t wake up, with all the noise in the world, before 8 AM–my first class that day was at 8:30. I decided I’d just have to cut it until I saw a last-minute announcement from my prof, saying he couldn’t hold class that day anyway. I got so excited and went back to bed ha. Tell me the last thing you searched on the internet? I was searching for surveys :c The last argument you had, who started it? My girlfriend did.  Do you wear a ring on your left hand middle finger? Nope. Are you currently in a smoking environment? No, my bedroom is not a designated smoking area and never has been. Can you remember the title of the song you last sang aloud? Forgiveness by Paramore. No pun intended but please forgive all the Paramore answers I will be giving in the next few weeks, I am so so so so so stoked for their concert back here and I can’t listen to anybody else but them. If a stranger smiles at you, do you smile back? Well it’s gonna depend on the smile I guess. Some people give out friendly smiles; that’s the one I tend to reciprocate. Some are just creepy; my usual instinct is either to ignore or, if I’m in an already bad mood, give them a scowl. Tell me the current time? 9:19 AM. Are you currently listening to music through earphones? Nope, I can’t keep my focus on answering surveys if I do that. What color shirt are you wearing? Is it your favorite color? Black. It’s one of them. Do you own a pair of rubber boots? I don’t. Does anyone you know own a bird that can talk? Not anymore. My great-aunt used to have a parrot that can say “You’re ugly” in Filipino but it must have died when I was maybe about 10 or 11 when I stopped seeing it at their house. What make-up are you wearing currently, if any? I haven’t worn makeup since the last debut I went to...and that was in January. Name one thing you are glad you accomplished today? My lazy ass finally give me a shower this morning. Name one thing you wished you accomplished today but didn’t? Dunno, it’s pretty early in the day. We’ll see. Have you ever been afraid to call someone, even if you knew them well? Always. Calling is just not my preferred mode of communicating. Do you ever not speak to someone because you’re afraid you’ll annoy them? Also always. Is there any drama going on in your circle of friends? There technically is ongoing drama but since I don’t need that high school bullshit I disassociated from the group many months ago. I stay in the group chat for formality’s sake but I don’t see or talk to most of them anymore. Have you ever known a guy who caused a lot of drama? I know lots of guys who have caused drama. That’s rich kid culture in Metro Manila, dude. Is there anyone you know who wears their hair in pigtails regularly? No. That would be...weird if I knew anyone from my age range. Personally, do you think you have a nice smile? Yes. Do you have a nervous twitch? Not really. Have you ever taken care of a drunk friend? No. I’m sensitive about way too drunk people so I let my other friends handle them. I’m fine with tipsy friends, though. How about a hungover friend? I haven’t. Does the idea of snow-peaked mountains and a large lake sound appealing?  Absolutely. I’ve never been in that environment so I think it would be a pleasant breath of fresh air if I suddenly woke up to that. Pick any number that has personal significance to you? 23. Have you ever lost your luggage at an airport? No. It’s happened to my dad several times though. What’s your opinion on people who go hunting for sport? No. Have you ever been on a rollercoaster that actually scared you? I have a fear of rollercoasters as it is so when I tried a small one in Universal Studios that’s not even supposed to be scary (worst 30 seconds of my life) it just proved my point that I’ll never get used to them. Do you know anyone who can fluently speak more than two languages? Yep. My professor in Filipino studied in Korea for a while so he’s fluent in Filipino, English, and Korean. Athenna knows Ilocano aside from Filipino and English. The last person who texted you, have you ever fought with them? Many times. All a part of a relationship. How many windows are open on your computer right now? Just one, I don’t like to keep my laptop too busy. Do you have a fairly fast or slow internet connection? Fast in terms of the general Philippine net speed. Pretty fucking slow compared with the rest of the world’s. Have you ever gone in a sauna? Noooooo no not my way of relaxing. I hate feeling hot. Out of these colors, which appeals most to you: orange, blue, or green? Blue. Have you celebrated your birthday yet this year? Yes. Is there anything you’re saving up for? Christmas gifts for my loved ones.

Are you taller than most of your friends? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I’m smaller than all of them thank you for reminding me. Know anyone with a really annoying laugh? I don’t find laughs annoying. Have you ever punched someone and broke their nose? I didn’t break the nose but I hit Gabie’s face once and since I did it pretty hard the bridge of her glasses cut her nose :( I felt bad and never played rough with her after that. Have you ever been someplace tropical? I live in a tropical country... If given the opportunity, would you act in a commercial? No. You see an ant on the ground, do you squish it? Usually. Have you ever baked a pie? I had to in I think that was sixth grade. Home econ class. What is your favorite social networking site?  Twitter. Who was the last person to call you? Gabie. Does anyone in your family tell funny stories? Not close with my family so I find none of them funny. The one with the funniest stories was my grandfather, but he passed away two years ago. Do you believe in finder's keepers in most situations? I guess that works for other people. I just feel guilty. Is there a war memorial where you live? There isn’t. I’m sure there are in the provinces and in Manila where majority of the wars took place, but not in my city. Has anyone in your family fought in any of the wars? Yes, my great-grandfather has a portrait up in our old house. He’s clad in his uniform, badges and all. Would you make any changes to your current bedroom? You bet I would. I’d repaint the walls, reposition the bed, get a TV, a desk, and a bookshelf. Has a stray dog ever tried to bite you? Nope, they’ve all been friendly to me thus far. When riding a bus, do you prefer to sit up front, down back or the middle?  I haven’t ridden a bus for public transport, but in the few times that I did for school trips I always opted to sit at the front. I get dizzy easily, and the crowd is usually noisiest from the middle aisles up to the back. Have you ever been on a cross-country train ride? No. Are you normally a person to tell people off? No, unless I had the business to. Name an object that most would consider odd that’s special to you? a poster? Gab’s sisters got me a small bear figure before for Christmas two years ago. They knew I love Baymax, so it means a lot that they thought of me and the gift has stayed with me since. What animal have you always wanted as a pet but couldn’t have? I already have a dog, so. Do you currently have any bug bites? Nope. Is there currently any caffeine in your system? No, but I feel the need to have some. I’ve been reliant on Starbucks for the past few weeks but now that classes are suspended for a week, it feels weird that I’m suddenly not having my usual. :( Look around, are things organized? In my dreams. Know what you’re planning to do after this? Another survey!!!!!!

[sending-the-message]

My Wife Thinks I Sleepwalk (Part 14) by TuckandRoll91

Life-Affirming Actions; That’s what mental health professionals call it. That’s why Sarah was smoking that cigarette to distract herself from the half-serious thought to take the bartender back to her hotel room. That’s why everyone was drunk. That’s why Addison’s cousin, Beth, was leaving with one of the guys from the Concert Choir.

In short, it’s why hook-ups and other bad decisions happen after funerals.

That’s why Uncle Chuck was sitting, and telling Claire bad jokes. It’s one thing that we all have in common. Everyone loses someone close to them, eventually, in life. Deep down, we know. It could’ve been me. Addison, I am so sorry you’re gone. But I am alive, and I feel the need to prove it to myself.

I walked back in the bar, straightened my shirt, made sure the pistol was secure, and saw her. That rage I felt for not being able to kill that son of a bitch quickly evaporated and was replaced by another animal emotion. From the floor up, I saw her curve of her calves, and wanted her legs wrapped around me., the shape of her hip, and needed to drive myself into her. Her waist, and wanted my hands, holding her fast against me. Her breasts, wanted them in my hands, my mouth. I wanted her back arched, and head thrown back, her bright, clear eyes closed, as we gave ourselves, in the purest form, to each other.

We hadn’t planned on staying in town tonight. I had my phone out, and was quickly reserving a room on the edge of town, as I crossed the bar, I leaned over, interrupting another of Chuck’s jokes, took her by the wrist and pulled her up, and kissed her. Not a soft, reassuring kiss like many others that passed between us over the past week. It had been six days. Doesn’t seem that long, but it was longer than we’d gone without taking at least a playful tumble since we had been together. I was telling her everything I needed, without words, as I pulled her against me. And She was telling me everything she wanted, with her hands in my hair, as she chewed, softly on my lower lip.

We pulled back, lest we clear a table and attack each other right there. I saw her light, and her fire, burning white hot, in equal measure, as she grinned a hungry little grin at me.

“We need to go.” I told her quietly.

“Damn right, we do.” She replied.

Life Affirming actions, or maybe the correlation between sex and violence. I don’t know and I didn’t care. I don’t think she did either, we both needed a little comfort, a little pleasure to salve all the pain.

Sometimes, most times, after a loss so profound, to feel alive, you need to die a little death, yourself.

We managed to keep most of our clothes on until we got into the room. But we did give our driver quite a show. He’s a professional, and kept his eyes on the road. Mostly.

I unlocked the door, Claire pushed it open, then pulled me inside. She was working my belt, as I worked my way down her neck from her ear to her collar bone. My belt, and the holstered pistol fell with a thump to the floor, then I unzipped her dress, as she was working down the buttons of my shirt.

She shoved me backwards onto the bed then stepped out of her dress.

A short time later, she laid on my chest, bare skin, to bare skin, and murmured, happily, “Needed that.”

“Who said anything about being done?” I asked as I raised her chin to look her in the eyes. She hit me with that feral grin, as I rolled her over to her back.

We continued this way, alternating between comfort and attacking each other like animals until around three in the morning.

Lying beside each other, exhausted, spent, having spent most of the evening as that one perfect being we could only become together, I thought about what Audrey told me after Addi’s graveside service.

I was watching Claire, tearfully offering condolences to Addi’s family, as the tearfully offered theirs to her.

Audrey could see it. The way I saw it between her and Addison.

She said, “Don’t wait,” trying to maintain some composure, “David, don’t wait, if there is something you need to tell her, Please, Don’t wait.” Audrey buried her face in my chest has I pulled her into a hug, whatever she was going to say next was lost to her pain, grief, and regret.

So as I lay there, in that hotel room, Claire beside me, I realized I never felt more at peace than when I was with her. We could weather anything together. And I knew. Sure, we’d only been together a year, but there is no logic in love.

“Claire.” I said, as she propped herself up on her elbow. “Marry me.”

Her eyes went wide, lit up, as she threw her arms around me, and kissed me, saying “Yes.”, without hesitation. She squeezed me tighter, her lips playing over mine, my cheek, “Of Course, David. Yes. Always, Yes.”

She was crying again. So was I. But this time, for a welcome change, it wasn’t due to pain.

“I’ve loved you since I laid eyes on you.” I told her, “I do love you, and I always will love you.” I never really thought of her as my girlfriend, I realized. Since our first night together, and I figured out that my Fiery red-haired Guardian Angel was our daughter, in my mind, she was always my wife. Soon she actually would be. As we fell asleep, I wasn’t worried about slipping, because I was exactly where I wanted to be.

The next morning, I called Dad, while Claire was in the shower.

“Hey, David, didn’t expect you to be up this early. What time did you guys get home last night?”

“We’re not home, yet. We decided to stay here for the night.”

“Oh, okay, let me know when you’re ready to leave, I’ve got the Cherokee fueled up.”

“Great, thanks, Dad.” I said. “But that’s not why I called.”

“Oh?”

“I need Mom’s ring.” I told him, on the edge of tears, of joy, this time.

“OH!” I could hear Dad smiling on the other end, “When are you going to ask her?”

“Already did.” I said, grinning a big stupid grin.

“And she said yes?” Dad poked at me, “Thought she was smarter than that.”

I laughed, “Look, just get it okay? And keep it to yourself, we want to tell her parents in person.”

“Okay, son, Congratulations.” He told me, “I love you, boy. I hope you know that.”

“Love you too, Dad. I’ll see you this afternoon.”

My mom was only thirty-seven when she died. But she had prepared a will. One of her conditions was that Gary actually read it to Adam, Dad, and I. It’s probably one of the few memories that Adam and Dad have that are as clear as mine.

“If I am to pass before our sons are married, Robert, you are not to bury me with my wedding band or engagement ring.” Gary read. “Adam, you are to take my wedding band for your wife. David, you are to have my engagement ring for the woman who will be your wife, so you may both know that you have my blessing, and my love. Care for them as I have cared for you. Love them with the good hearts, I know you have, so they may love you as I do, and more. She, whomever she may be, will be the most important person in heaven and earth to you. Treat her as such, and see the love you give returned, tenfold.” She included a sealed envelope with each, both addressed to “My Daughter-in-Law” and instructed Gary to lock them up until Adam and I asked for the rings. “Boys, these letters are not for you.” The will continued, “I don’t want you to ask this woman, whomever she may be, to read it. It’s for her, Mother to daughter. If she chooses to share it with you, that’s fine. If these instructions are necessary, please respect my wishes. I hope I am there to see you married, to get to know your wives, but if not, know that I do love them, as well.” Gary finished. “Signed, Audrey Marie Dempsey.”

The rings, themselves, were nothing special, purchased on an Enlisted Marine’s salary. But they were Mom’s, that’s what mattered. Dad had offered to replace them, with something nicer once the money came.

“You most certainly will not!” Mom told him, almost angrily. Dad was taken back. Mom softened a bit “Robert,” She was the only one that called him Robert, to everyone else, he was Bob. “It doesn’t matter how much they cost. What matters is you chose me, and I chose you.” I remembered her reaching out and touching his face softly. “That’s what matters.”

Dad picked us up at a private airfield outside of town, and flew us back to my hometown of [redacted]. We were going to stay with him for a couple days before we left for the Lake Cabin.

Sarah opted to stay, saying, “Addi wouldn’t want us putting our lives on hold for her. I understand why you two need to get away, But I’m staying. If that offer is opened ended, I could come see you this summer.”

We agreed, wished her well, made sure we had each other’s contact info, and said goodbye. Then I quietly tasked a security detail on her.

That night, I laid down next to Claire, in my old bedroom, exhausted, kissed the tip of her nose, and told her I loved her.

“How should we tell my parents?” She asked me. “I was thinking of just calling them. Mom loves you, Dad will not be happy.”

“I was thinking sometime after the birth of their grandbaby.” I grinned at her.

She laughed, then said, “You want kids? Like actually want kids.”

“Not right away, but yes, eventually. After we finish school, and get settled.” I said, “I mean, we got what, 20 years before we’re too old to keep up with a baby?” I looked in to her big, bright blue eyes and asked, “Do you want kids?”

“I never really thought about it until I met you.” She told me. “But yes, I’d love to have our baby,” She beamed, “Down the road, eventually, that isn’t a knock-me-up-right-now request.” She giggled, then kissed me.

I shrugged, “We could always practice,” as I rolled onto my back, and shot her the side eye.

She laid there for a moment, smiling at me, then said. “Hmm, practice does sound fun.”

We weren’t as urgent as the night before, it wasn’t so much a need as a want. Softer, slower, we took our time, together, and enjoyed each other, body and soul, for every second. Afterwards, we collapsed and fell fast asleep.

I woke up in a pasture, face to face, with a very confused dairy cow.

“At least I remembered to get dressed.” I said to the cow.

She mooed at me.

Mom and Dad bought the land when I was twelve. So I knew I’d slipped back at least ten years. I stood and got my bearings, careful not to startle my bovine companions on the top of the hill. Construction hadn’t yet started on my dad’s house, I looked toward the road, and noticed the leaves starting to turn.

Early fall It was a little chilly for gym shorts and a long sleeve Tee-shirt, but not unbearable. When I did the math and figured out the nearest Cache was 3 miles away, I grumbled sourly to myself. I noticed the ‘For Sale’ sign at the bottom of the hill did not yet have a ‘sold’ placard on it, So I started walking.

Heavy Duty socks with rubberized grips, do not do much good when you step in cow shit. Again, grumbling sourly, I peeled them off, and started off barefoot.

A short time later I arrived at the Cache. This one was a locker at a Self-Storage facility. I let myself in, scrubbed my feet off, with a bit of the bottled water there, and changed clothes. I stole a look at a newspaper on my way there and figured out it was early October, about a year before my mother died.

I had been thinking about her before I feel asleep, and her eyes on Claire’s face, my daughter’s face. I looked over at the motorcycle under a tarp in the back of the locker.

I’m in school, What the hell? I pulled the tarp off, revealing a matte-black generic looking V-Twin cruiser. Like the rest of them, built to be untraceable using aftermarket parts and pieces of wrecked bikes. Some bits Dad machined himself.

I rolled it out of the locker, after taking a bit of walking around money, and secured the Cache. I mounted the bike and flipped the switch to start it up. Just like the rest of them, it rumbled to life without hesitation. Dad knew his shit.

Without even thinking, I set off to the library where Mom worked.

I have come here, several times on other slips. I once “borrowed” a car from a guy that lived in my dorm room in the early nineties and drove it all the way back home before he realized it was missing. I usually just sit, and listen, to hear her voice, listen to her talk to her co-workers about mundane things, occasionally watch her re-shelving books, or whatever. My favorite is when I pop in during the summer, any summer, and listen to her read to the daycamp kids, the way she used to read to me when I was a boy. Hurts and heals at the same time I guess. I do miss her, daily, and now I was wishing she could meet Claire, wishing Claire could meet her.

Except, this time was different. I looked up from the book I’d taken off the shelf to not read, and she was staring at me. I could see the consternation on her face slowing dissolving into recognition. Her mouth dropped open slightly and she said, “David?”

I sucked in a breath as my heart felt like it would explode if I didn’t do something to relieve the pressure. Then I leaped out of the chair, that unread book falling to the floor with a tumble and clatter. Before I knew what I was doing I was holding on to her for dear life, as if I were the one drowning. “Mom.” I said, trying unsuccessfully, to hold back tears. I miss you.

She gave me a minute to collect myself, as she locked the doors, and hung the ‘back in fifteen minutes’ sign.

“How did you know?”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize my own son?” She grinned at me. “You come back here a lot.” It made sense, I recognized my daughter before I even knew she would exist.

“You seem to be handling this a lot better than I thought you would.” I told her honestly, glad I no longer had to lie to her.

“You and your father think you can keep your secrets from me.” She snorted slightly. “It seemed important to you both that no one else knew, so I let you think I didn’t. I’ve known from the beginning, David.”

I gave her a look.

“Your Dad talks in his sleep, Sweety.” I almost laughed. “How old are you, now?"

“Twenty-two” I told her.

“College?”

I told her that too.

“My son, an Ivy-Leaguer?” She said with obvious pride. “Guess we did something right.”

“Only everything,” I told her. “I love you, Mom.”

“David,” She turned serious, concern on her face, “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Nothing.” I smiled, then broke down, “Everything.” And I spilled it, I told her about Addison, the other time traveler, my daughter, Claire. Everything.

“You were there?” As her hand reflexively went over her mouth. I nodded. Mom rose up out of her chair, and wrapped her arms around me, kissing the top of my head. “David, it wasn’t your fault.” She told me quietly, “You did everything you could to help her. No one, not even Addison, would fault you for protecting Claire. You’re a good man, with a good heart. I know you feel terrible, but there was nothing you could have done. If something is supposed to happen, it happens.” She held me, as I cried like a little boy with a skinned knee, stroking the back of my neck, like she used to do when I woke up from a bad slip, and she came charging into my bedroom, like Mama bear, to chase the monsters away. The way Claire did when I came out of a bad slip. “This Claire? She’s special to you?”

I nodded. “We got engaged, last night.” Then I corrected myself, “Well, last night, ten years from now.”

She sat back down opposite me. “Oh, David,” She beamed, “Tell me about her.”

I did. I told her about her dry wit, her easy laughter, how she would dance around the kitchen, her poise, and strength, Her light and her fire. “Mom, she’s beautiful, in every way imaginable.” I finished, “I can’t believe I got so lucky.”

Mom was smiling at me. “Sounds like she hung the moon, just for you.”

This was a game we played when I was little. ‘Who hung the moon?’

You did, Momma, Just for me.

No, baby, you did, just for me

“No, Mom, you hung it. She’s just holds it up, now.”

Mom grinned at me, again. “Can’t wait to meet her.”

Then I realized: I have a chance. I can save her. I could undo all the times I lied to her and she instantly forgave me without a word, all the secrets I thought I’d kept. I could save her.

I took a deep breath, knowing I was about alter my entire life. I just hoped Claire was still there when I woke up.

“You can’t.” I said quietly. I could feel her slightly confused gaze upon. “Next year, on October fourteenth. You are in a car accident.” I choked up, As I was calling up one of those perfect memories that killed part of me every time I thought about it. “It was raining. A dump truck lost control and rolled. It lost its load. You swerved to avoid it, but it hit your car anyway.”

She was staring at me with wide-eyed shock.

“Mom, you.. you died.”

“Oh, David.” This is the kind of saint my mother was, I just told her how and when she was going to die, and her first reaction was to comfort me. She was up out of her chair holding me again. “Baby, I love you. You know that, right? No matter what, know I love you.” She was rocking me, like a child, as the tears flowed.

“Mom,” I choked, “I was in the back seat.”

She squeezed me, whispering soothing somethings into my ear.

“You were taking me to school because I missed the bus.” She clutched me tighter, as I shook and sobbed. “I woke up, and we were upside down in a ditch. The car was filling with water.” I shuddered, nearly wretched. “I tried, Mom. I tried to get you out. I wasn’t strong enough. I wasn’t fast enough. I couldn’t.. I couldn’t save you.” I was nearly blind with tears, hanging on to Mom, like a drowning man would hang onto driftwood. “Please, don’t leave me.” And then I completely broke down.

“Never.” She said.

I remember her hearing her call my Dad to tell him she was working late. She never reopened the library that day.

She held me until I cried myself to sleep.

I woke up, in my old bedroom at Dad’s. Claire was sleeping soundly beside me, her head on my shoulder.

Nothing had changed.

But the great yawning hole in my soul that was my mother’s absence was slightly smaller. Because I knew. I knew I had done my best, and none of the lies or secrets mattered, because they were forgiven as soon as they were told. She knew, she always knew.

Carefully, I slid out of bed, as to not wake Claire, and I went and found Dad. I told him. I told him everything.

He hugged me, and thanked me, and said, “God love that woman.” as he wiped away tears, and collected himself. “Well, It’s a happy day, indeed. My wife didn’t care that I hid little things from her, and I’m getting a daughter.” He offered a wistful smile. “Gary’s bringing your Mom’s ring.” He sipped at his coffee, “Go get yourself together, boy.”

Claire had insisted on making us breakfast, and had even set a place for Gary. I was watching her buzz around Dad’s seldom used kitchen, wearing an old apron he had dug out for her. It was one of the stupid ones that read ‘Kiss the Cook.’ I caught her around the waist and pulled her close. “I think I will.” I said, looking down at the apron.

When I pulled back she was grinning, sly, behind her cat’s eye frames, at me. “Thought you had enough.” She murmured, just loud enough for me to hear.

“Never.”

She gave me another quick peck on the lips and said “Later.” As she resumed buzzing and offered an arched eyebrow, over her shoulder, just to make sure I was watching her walk away. She was in a white formfitting sweater, and a pair of dark jeans that seemed to be tailored just for her.

I shook my head and went to the kitchen table. The doorbell rang at 10:07 am. Dad ushered Gary in shortly thereafter. “Good Morning, I’m glad we’re seeing each other under happier circumstances.”

I stood and shook his hand, “Look, Gary, I’m sorry about—“

“It’s okay, David.” He smiled at me, “I know you were under stress, and probably still are,” as he withdrew the ring box and the envelope from his briefcase. It had gone yellow with age, but still bore my Mom’s handwriting clearly on the front. “So I hope this doesn’t upset either one of you,” He said, looking between Claire and I, as she took off her apron and joined us at the table. “But I took the liberty of drawing up a standard prenuptial agreement.”

I opened my mouth to retract my apology and tell him exactly where he could stick it, when Claire shot me a look, and snatched the paperwork and proffered pen from Gary’s hands. She flipped to the last page and signed it without reading it.

“I’m marrying you. Not your money.” She smiled at me. “Now, Sign it.” She commanded.

I did, then opened the ringbox. There it was: A small, simple silver band, with a small, but exquisitely cut diamond setting, and birthstones, Adam’s and mine, that had been added later. “We can get it resized if we need to,” I said, “Or something else altogether if that’s better.”

Claire beamed at me, “David, it’s perfect.” She reassured me, as she held out her hand, a little giddy.

I slid my mother’s engagement ring on to her finger. It fit perfectly. I leaned in and kissed her, lingering for longer than was chaste, ignoring the camera flashes from dad’s phone. As I pulled away, she held up her hand, inspecting the ring, and said “Bob, you’ve got really good taste.”

I laughed, Dad laughed, Claire laughed.

Gary gave her the letter, and excused himself, while simultaneously thanking us for, and refusing the offer to stay for brunch.

She looked at it, then me, hoping for an explanation.

“It’s from my Mom.” I told her.

She made a little cooing noise and demanded “What’s it say?”

“I don’t know.” I answered. “I wasn’t allowed to read it. And you don’t have to tell me what is says, if you don’t want to.”

“To My Daughter-in-law” She read aloud as she broke the seal and opened my Mom’s letter. Her face slowly changed from expectant joy, to confusion, then to something between amusement and anger. “David, is this a joke?”

“What?” I was a little confused. Okay, more than a little.

“This is addressed to me.” She said, shocked.

Yes, I was even more confused. “It’s for you.”

“No,” She held up the page, “Me, specifically!”

Then I saw the header. It read: To Ms. Claire Sullivan clearly, in my mother’s handwriting. I rocked back in my chair, and gasped, “Mom!”

Needless to say: My wife doesn’t think I sleepwalk, anymore.

Part One: http://ift.tt/2uAVaOL

Part Two: http://ift.tt/2uWNQQd

Part Three: http://ift.tt/2tIazeU

Part Four: http://ift.tt/2w8aIcc

Part Five: http://ift.tt/2tPzJZ3

Part Six: http://ift.tt/2wgzgjg

Part Seven: http://ift.tt/2hqbgHQ

Part Eight: http://ift.tt/2hsjK1g

Part Nine: http://ift.tt/2utwFRJ

Part Ten: http://ift.tt/2veAuhp

Part Eleven: http://ift.tt/2wKu87f

Part 12: http://ift.tt/2w2g7pg

Part 13: http://ift.tt/2v6fSom

SubReddit: http://ift.tt/2u2sU6l

[fragraham-blog]

Deal with Music Like a Distinct Subject

Believe back to any time you were in school. You had your academic lessons as well as your after-school pursuits. You knew your each day regimen: Math, English, Science, and so forth. Then after college: piles of limitless homework!

With numerous various subjects, it is no wonder including time for you to practice music can appear like a burden to a child. That is exactly where you can be found in - you'll be able to enable shift your child’s mindset!

What’s the bottom line? It is as much as you to help your youngster see music within a various light!

Rather then treating music like every other subject, make a distinction so your little one sees music as anything he or she desires to do. The most effective technique to shift your child’s mindset would be to allow her or him play an instrument they are actually considering.

“If you would like your kid to be motivated to play an instrument, music ought to be distinctive than other educational subjects,” says Bobby K. from Guitar Chalk. “Your little one shouldn’t see music like a forced discipline, like Math or Geography. This eventually comes right down to picking out the appropriate instrument, and that is going to be the a single the child is energized about and wishes to play on his or her own.

“For me, that was the guitar, which had me training (voluntarily) 3 to 4 hours daily at 11 years old. That couldn’t have took place with piano because piano wasn’t “my” instrument. It had been just yet another subject. But guitar was unique in that it felt like play, not college function. Obtaining your kid right into a comparable predicament, wherever their instrument does not come to feel like just a different college subject, is totally critical. If it is not taking place, that might be a signal that it is time for you to switch instruments.”

This also indicates you could possibly should be flexible. Although it could be high priced to allow a little one to begin and end several different activities, endeavor to function with her or him to uncover 1 he or she enjoys and it is intrinsically motivated to practice.

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Put Your Child in Management It’s no secret that when we’re advised to perform something, we really don't normally want to get it done. Through the course of the day, there are many different people today (parents, teachers, older siblings, coaches) telling children what to do. Add music to that list and it is no wonder motivation seems to dwindle!

Fight this challenge by putting your youngster in handle. Let her or him decide the practice routine, that way they are far more possible to stick with it.

“Kids hear adults tell them what to complete all of the time; to catch their attention, allow them strategy their particular practice schedule,”  says Nicole Weiss, LCSW Psychotherapist and Coach. “Start with the finish in mind. Generally, you should get your kid to generate the determination that she or he requirements to practice to ensure she or he can perform the way in which he or she desires to play. After the determination is created, the parent will help the little one exploration and find out how generally a superb musician practices. The kid then sets a routine depending on the reality that, to get good, 1 need to practice.”

Not merely will this let your little one to come to feel a sense of manage, it is going to also aid him or her to find out the value of practice.

“The kid helps make the routine, then the parent reinforces it,” Weiss says. “I’m certain numerous dad and mom reading this would say…’yeah but will they do that day to day?’ That is where you come in - but you might have extra bodyweight as part of your reminder. It was the child’s need to produce the target. In addition, the reward must be for accomplishing little ambitions. For example: ‘practice just about every night this week and we will download that song you desire.’ Reward the get the job done.”

More: Encourage Your Kid to Practice Having a Reward Program

Assist Your Little one Fully grasp the Present of Music Show your little one that enjoying a musical instrument is a exclusive privilege and an opportunity that is not always out there to everybody. Teach your youngster to enjoy music and all it's to provide. Help them discover that music can increase their lifestyle.

“I think that we’re right here in this planet to try and do great items using the present of our lives, and we’re here to serve other folks,” says Heather F. from Music for Younger Violinists. “Learning to play [the violin] aids us in the two of these regions - we’re drawn up right into a degree of greatness via the discipline required to examine this art form, and in this method, we cultivate a gift that we will share with many others.”

This also contains assisting your youngster develop a appreciate for music. Consider them to concerts or exhibits, perform music in your own home, and enable them find what they like.

Lots of adults want they'd caught having a hobby or endeavor they began like a little one, like enjoying a musical instrument. Whilst this can be a tricky notion for youthful kids to grasp, educating them to enjoy music can help them fully grasp why practice is vital.

According to this short article from MusicTeachersHelper on motivating students to practice, “…I can’t count the number of occasions I’ve heard grownups say to me, ‘I quit taking piano when I was youthful and it had been this kind of a error. I wish I could go back and take lessons once again.’ Parents can assist little ones know the worth that musical talent brings to society.”

Really don't Make Practice an Obligation This one particular may possibly seem to be a bit counterintuitive, appropriate? Following all, you’ve invested the cash in an instrument and lessons, and you want your youngster to make quite possibly the most of it. Plus, in case your son or daughter really wants to be superior, he or she desires to practice!

The key right here should be to not make practice seem like an obligation, as compared to other fun actions. For example, if your son or daughter loves to play video video games or play outside, really do not enable him or her to perform this until soon after finishing practice.

Using a exciting action being a reward will produce the mindset that practice is definitely the obligation that stands inside the method of the enjoyable action, and this could generate resentment or dread for practice.

As Why We Teach Piano suggests, “Don’t set an arbitrary quantity of practice time, with out particular targets, and then reward them with playtime or video games afterwards. This just reinforces the notion that enjoying piano is not pleasurable and video video games are entertaining.”

Plan Performances In relation to any sport, pastime, or endeavor, it’s critical to help keep your eye within the prize. The identical issue applies on the subject of your youngster studying an instrument; your son or daughter needs to possess a aim in sight, otherwise, she or he may well query the need to have to practice.

“If you want to maintain college students engaged and fired up about their music training, be sure they are doing continually during the yr,” says Anthony M. founder and writer with the Music Parents’ Manual. “There are other profound effects on a lot more scheduled performances for all college programs, also. We, as dad and mom and teachers, have to have to foster a expanding curiosity and even an excitement about music in our children’s lives. Consistent performances are the greatest solution to do this and carry on to motivate our children.”

It will get much better:

Not only do performances assistance to improve excitement, additionally they operate to hold youngsters accountable. Ask any music instructor - even quite possibly the most unmotivated student will probably be far more likely to practice if it signifies keeping away from embarrassment at a recital!

Let Your Youngster Pick Simply because you loved enjoying piano as a child does not indicate your youngster will like enjoying just as substantially. Your little one might have other interests, and it is essential to allow her or him to explore different endeavors.

“First of all, I believe it is vital that the little one decide on the instrument they’re going to master,” says Matt T. from Unlock the Guitar. “I’m a guitarist, and I’d appreciate nothing at all greater than my son for being keen on understanding guitar, but he’s undeniably drawn to your piano. Plus, if an instrument is thrust upon them, training it can also be thrust on them. Letting the kid opt for the instrument turns this on its head, and into your favor, even when they did not select the instrument you'll have liked them to play.”

Be Their Cheerleader Allow your child know you are his or her greatest fan, especially early on when your kid could truly feel frustrated or discouraged.

Eighty-eight notes school of music suggests listening to your child at home as often when you can and building encouraging remarks about their progress. Also, make sure to request them how their lessons went.

Consider a genuine curiosity in the child’s musical journey. Your son or daughter will likely be enthusiastic to perform to suit your needs and show off new techniques!

Help Them Engage With Music Your youngster is much more likely to practice music if he or she feels connected to your course of action. Enable your son or daughter create an interest and curiosity for music.

To aid your child stay engaged, become a part of the process. Whatever you can do to acquire concerned is likely to boost their curiosity and motivation.

“Motivating your child by reward or punishment will cease operating really quickly; as a substitute, support your little one get curious about music and build an inner desire to engage with music,” says Jonas G., the founder of flowkey.”Let your little one play all around with unique instruments. Pay attention to music and sing together. Your kid will naturally want to imitate you, so a large determination for young children to practice is seeing their mother and father engage with music themselves.”

Produce Issues As an alternative to telling your kid to practice, assist him or her set specific ambitions and issues. This will likely assist them progress more quickly since they’ll work on accomplishing unique tasks or mastering unique skills. This notion could be utilized to any instrument.

Practiceopedia writer and practice skilled, Philip J., has a wholly different consider: “Don’t inquire your little ones to ‘practice’ - they won’t understand what to complete. Instead, give them bite-sized, clear issues to finish: (1) Function out a fingering for measures 24-35 (two) Gradually pace up area B to 85bpm. (three) Be capable of play the left hand of your coda from memory.”

Owning difficulty coming up with the proper challenge? Verify out Phillip’s website, thebootcampedition.com, to get a huge assortment.

Celebrate ALL Accomplishments Finding out to play an instrument is often a prolonged journey complete of peaks, valleys, and plateaus. Although you will absolutely be proud when you watch your little one perform, it’s critical to celebrate the small victories along the way in which.

When verbal praise is important, you might also would like to generate yet another strategy to celebrate achievements; familyshare suggests keeping a journal of the child’s accomplishments. Whenever you put it in creating, you’re less very likely to overlook. If journaling is not your factor, you can retain a white board within the fridge, or produce a chart which you can display while in the residence!

Celebrating the small victories will help your kid hold a good perspective when they are struggling or possessing issues tackling a brand new concept or song.

Let Them Perform Music They Like Whilst you can find constantly particular signature songs and classics for many instruments, your youngster will eliminate curiosity if he or she does not just like the music they are playing.

Function together with your child’s teacher to generate certain your youngster is taking part in some music they certainly enjoy.

According to the Academy of Music and Dance, “As small children get to be around 10 years outdated, at times younger, they begin to produce preferences for musical style, largely influenced by radio, Television, and no matter what they’re most exposed to in your own home. They'll also usually gravitate to what ever their mates are listening to, specifically for boys at about age 13 and girls about age 11.”

Use this as a motivational tactic; let your son or daughter to play a minimum of one particular acquainted song as part of their weekly schedule.

Make Practice Exciting This really should come as no surprise - nobody wants to practice when it is uninteresting! Integrate exciting video games, pursuits, and issues, as well as your youngster will seem forward to practice!

In line with PianoDiscoveries, “appropriate aims and constructive reinforcement will make training entertaining and rewarding. Very couple of youngsters are self-motivated in their practice. Most need incentives and reminders to maintain them centered and moving forward.”

Request your child’s music instructor for some creative ways to make practice much more pleasurable!

Find the proper Teacher This brings us to our final tactic and 1 in the most significant: uncover the proper teacher! While practice is accomplished outdoors of lessons, if your youngster connects with their teacher, they’re much a lot more probably to practice on their very own time.

According to Music Central,”…finding the ideal instructor will make or break the whole encounter. Don’t be afraid to test a new teacher if your youngster isn’t connecting. The ideal teachers are generally the ones who not merely teach, but understand how to become an excellent buddy and mentor to your youngster.”

Discover a teacher who understands your child’s understanding style, in addition to a individual who’s in a position to teach ideas within a way that keeps your youngster interested. When your son or daughter likes his or her instructor, they’ll be additional ready to take course and practice consistently.

Amongst the quite a few issues that mothers and fathers face in handling children’s music lessons (selecting the instrument, locating a good instructor, and so forth.), receiving youngsters to practice will be the most challenging of all. The severity from the problem and the significance of practice make it tough to think that you will discover so couple of posts addressing this. What’s additional, moms and dads and music teachers normally resort towards the failed tactics they try to remember from childhood in desperate attempts to motivate little ones to practice. A frequent illustration of this problem will be the “practice for 30 minutes” rule, during which a music teacher will advocate the little one practice thirty minutes per day and generally boost this time because they get older. In attempts to enforce adherence to this arbitrary dedication, mother and father will generally “pay” the little one for thirty minutes of “work” with one thing rewarding like watching Television, playing outside or enjoying video video games. The issue with this particular strategy is the fact that it tends to make the 30 minutes of practicing a little something to get endured in order to do some thing that's valued. But what's so sacred about thirty minutes of practicing? In which did this conventional unit come from? How is it improved than 27 minutes or 34? To transform training into a rewarding activity, dad and mom should really inspire reaching day by day musical objectives. For example, in lieu of saying that 30 minutes of practice is enough regardless of precisely what is achieved, you could possibly say, “Today the target of training will be to perform the primary eight measures of your piece with out any mistakes.” No matter whether reaching this target will take 12 minutes or forty minutes isn’t important. Precisely what is crucial is the fact that the kid knows the musical purpose of every every day practice session and feels motivated to become as effective as is possible whilst training so as to reach that target and come to feel that sense of accomplishment. When the target is enjoying the first eight measures on Monday, the logical goal for Tuesday is usually to play the subsequent eight. Rather quickly, the youngster will acknowledge the cumulative intention of the week: to play the whole piece cost-free of blunders. This leads to additional motivation, a lot more energy for the duration of practice and most significantly, pride in what they've achieved. Whilst this approach achieves higher accomplishment, additionally, it calls for extra energy from the moms and dads; it’s easy to take a look at the clock and check thirty minutes, but goal-related training usually means setting every day objectives for the children, monitoring the ease or difficulty your child experiences with his music and setting new, much more demanding ambitions. Really do not fear! Right here are some recommendations to help you: Initially, divide the week’s aim or teacher’s expectations into 7 equal elements and make sure your child understands every single 1. On some days, your child may possibly choose to get the job done towards two days’ really worth of ambitions, during which situation, it’s sensible to present them the choice of skipping the following day’s practice session. Day-to-day targets should really be attended to on a daily basis and really should involve enjoying scales or other technique-building capabilities; advancement on certain pieces may be extra spread out, so long as the youngster continues to move forward with all the piece. When it might be tempting, really don't bargain with practice time. While in striving to skip each day, your little one might seriously indicate, “I will practice double tomorrow,” this sets the normal that practice time is negotiable. Progress really should be measured and appropriately altered on a daily basis (if wanted) by analyzing the quantity of energy, aggravation and completion/advancement in reaching the each day goals. Yes, that is more perform than monitoring thirty minutes per day, but within the finish, this can be much simpler compared to the agony of forcing small children to adhere to the necessary 30 minutes of meager, unmotivated energy. It'll also make everyone’s daily life a bit more pleasant!

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