Yesterday my daughter graduated from elementary. Hooray! And as expected we had to sit through two hours of pomp and circumstance - not the song but the ceremony. As I watched these young girls go across the stage, I saw first hand why shows like Next Top Model are useful shows to watch.
Each of the graduates were asked to go up on stage as their name was called. They were to go to center stage and bow before proceeding to claim their certificate from the school directress. I watched as they would stomp, plod, stride or walk across the stage like there was a ball between their legs preventing them from keeping it together. They would get to center stage where they would jerkily bow - no one looking at either the audience or the camera - before going to get their certificate then stomping off stage.
I teased my daughter about it afterwards. Apparently they weren't taught how to walk. They weren't taught to time how they went down the aisle using the music as a guide. No more walk a straight line with books on their head. No classes on grace and deportment. No how to sit and smile and wave ala Princess Diaries. Yes, it was like looking at a whole bunch of Mia Thermopolis (did I spell that right?) - the before the transformation portion.
One way to help develop that graceful movement is to take ballet lessons. Ballet will stretch the body and teach the kids how to walk tall and stand straight. It will keep them limber. I remember having a lot of fun taking ballet with my sisters and cousins. I would love to have my girl study, even for a summer, with Effie Nanas. In the meantime, I have her walking the line with a book on her head .
There will be lots of "for posterity moments" coming up and I want my kids to always look great in their pics.I know that I have a lot of pictures that I am thankful will never see the light of day because I looked so awful in them. Lucky that Next Top Model teaches the little tricks to look less deer in headlights and more "I'm a model". Looks like I'll be acquiring a new set of videos and a new hobby - photography - just for fun, not profit. My models are already waiting.