“It’s Tuesday again! I hope he doesn’t come today. God, please make him sick! 😔 This was my mindset every Tuesday morning throughout middle school when my tabla teacher, came to my house for music lessons. He was incredibly strict and rarely took a day off. I had to practice 6-8 songs each week on top of perfecting my tabla beats. Although I disliked the lessons, I still attended Wednesday evening classes at home where we learned new songs from my vocal coach. Unfortunately, half the year I struggled with coughs and colds which made singing difficult.
Pity my neighborhood for having to endure my shrill vocal exercises on a regular basis. I used to practice songs every day, with all the lyrics and notes written in my diary. I had to practice 5-6 songs daily, some easy and some difficult with challenging notes and beats. When encountering high notes that were out of reach, I wanted to skip them. Despite putting forth effort and practicing regularly, singing was never something I loved nor excelled at – it was only because my parents wanted me to do it. Eventually, in 9th grade when balancing studies became too difficult alongside singing, I quit it altogether.
Parents always want the best for their children, but sometimes their desire to do everything right stifles a child’s natural creativity. Let your child explore and figure out what interests them. Even if they don’t find anything, there will be no guilt from working hard on something they didn’t enjoy instead of following their heart’s desire.
This is one example where I felt my parents were smothering me. Upon further examination, I found that this was also common among my friends and acquaintances.
