This story only skims the surface of what a parent does for his kid. Parents who do these sorts of things for their kids must love them like none other.
I had this tape of the New York City Ballet performing The Nutcracker. Macaulay Caulkin as Clara's Prince... so awesome right? I used to dance along with it all the time when I was like four years old. When the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince would dance together, I made my dad dance with me. He was the Prince to my Sugar Plum, and while one of us was "dancing" in front of the television, the other would wait out in the "wings" (or the hallway) and "get a drink of water" until the dancers changed places. The great thing was that he thought this was the greatest thing in the world. He told everyone about his escapades as the Sugar Plum's Prince. He was just proud and amused. I think only parents can really feel that way.
I want my kids to be little ballerinas so badly! I mean, if they hate it, obviously they don't need to continue with it. I know the moment I see them master a plie for the first time, and feel that same rush of blood to the head when they turn I'll be just as proud as my parents when I danced along to The Nutcracker.
One of my favorite things has been watching my three year old niece dance - I bought her a tutu for christmas that she loved and she plays ballerina (which is like "house" with a lot of curtseying). Kids learn movement before they learn language which is why dance can be a hugely important part of psychomotor and affective development...
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