When I was growing up, I was a lazy kid. I never wanted to exert myself to do anything whether it was my studies or picking up a skill. Mom tried to enroll me for dance classes one summers and I didn’t want to get up early to go there so I complained about my legs hurting and that was the end of dance classes. I never picked up music, art or any skills and didn’t even miss it. When I see myself trying so passionately to learn skills now, I almost want to give my younger self a lecture. I wish I had been more passionate or my parents been pushier and that’s why at times I push my kids a tad bit more than I should.

I had this wish that when my kids grow up we can jam together. With this dream, three years back I wanted to enroll each one of us in a music class. I gifted my hubby a guitar on his birthday, and my elder one and I started taking keyboard classes from a teacher who used to come home. My younger one wanted to join in too, but the teacher asked us to wait for a year before starting him off.

Seeing us learn music had sowed a seed in the mind of my younger one. Last year he insisted he wanted to learn to play the Keyboard and we got him a Casio Mini Keyboard. He did not want to take classes and I let him be as I realised he needs to want to do it, rather than me pushing my aspirations on him. For one year he just randomly kept making music, jarring one, at times. This summer, he surprised me by saying he wanted to learn to play the keyboard.

And then again, I had a brainwave. I told my younger one that his brother knew how to play the keyboard well and this made my elder proud. He willingly took the task to show off his skills to his sibling. This is what is killing two birds in a row means in the mommy dictionary, maybe three. Not only did my younger one learn some music, my elder one brushed his skills and I could enjoy the peace and feel happy at my plan working so well.

During the vacation, Eeshan made a timetable in which he made sure he kept 45 minutes to teach his brother how to make music amongst all other fun activities they did. While they fight like Tom and Jerry most of the times, these 45 minutes they shared a bond and no one or nothing was harmed, much to mine relief.

http://maaofallblogs.com/2014/07/save-and-nurture-your-kids-brains-and-stop-them-from-watching-tv.html/

Studies have shown that musical experiences in childhood can actually accelerate brain development, language skills, reading skills, intellectual, social and emotional, motor, but for me, music is a skill that will stay with them lifelong. It is an emotional outlet and a creative one too.

With vacations over, I have now enrolled the younger one in proper music classes which he adores and never misses. The elder one is practising the keyboard too.

This by far has been the most gratifying activity we have done as summer activities and while I am rubbing my hands in glee, they are not even aware of what I may have achieved. In some way, my wish is coming together and let me end by saying:

 Family is like music

Some high notes, some low, 

But always a beautiful song.