So, I have been forced to take a break in my sewing (I ran out of material, had to go get more, and now it's washing). While my mind is all consumed with how in the WORLD I'm going to make Emmy's Mulan sundress work, and realizing I have spent the last ?week? here talking about the Mulan skirt for Emmy, I thought I'd come all tell you a story about her and her love of all things Mulan, and why I indulge her with it. (Feel free to skip over it if ya wanna get to more sewing since that what the thread is all about, but if you're bored, stay a while. There will be singing!)
Emmy has always been my girl who likes things that are different and unique, but never JUST for the sake of being different and unique. If everyone else likes something she does that's fine, but she's never one to like something JUST because the other kids do. Even as a little kid her favorite food was mushrooms (what kid likes those?!?!) and she could care less about Cindy or Sleeping Beauty- Pocahontas and Mulan were always more her style.
She has a fascination with other races, cultures, and times. I think part of it for her is being mixed race, but being in the odd position of being the green eyed/blonde kid- in school she was your "average non-distinguishable girl" but when she'd be with most of my side of the family,
she was the unusual looking girl in the midst of a bunch of Romany. Most of her reading is either urban fiction (Twilighty) or about a girl of her age from another time and culture who is overcoming some type of circumstance.
Two years ago this past February, Emmy walked up to me after school and said, "Guess what, Mom? I'm going to be in the school talent show!" Now Emilee had never even told me the school was having a talent show, let alone that she'd auditioned. This probably sounds bad but I had NO idea what she could be doing! She didn't play a sport, or take dance lessons or anything like that. She was too young to be in band. All I could think of is that maybe her class was putting something together. Emmy could be kind of shy in front of others, but I figured she'd be okay in a class organized group.
"Oh really? That's great! So what are you doing?"
"Oh! I'm singing a solo!"
And off she went to her room to do her homework and read, like it was an every day thing.
My daughter, who never even sang loudly enough for us to hear her in the car, had suddenly decided she wanted to be heard- not in front of 5 or 10 people in the school choir, but all by herself, on stage, in front of about 800 of her friends, classmates, and all their parents!
She picked the song on her own, she practiced on her own, she NEVER for one second showed she was in the least bit phased at doing it! She let me treat her like a princess and doll her up for the day, but other than that she was her own girl and did it all her way. She sounded nervous at first, but after that first little bit...my jaw hit the floor. My little girl. On stage. By herself. Singing her little heart out!
Emmy, singing "Reflection" from Mulan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwjGcOzKjj8
(She had no idea Mulan was one of my two favorite movies, nor that this song is so very special to me for some very personal reasons- I always sang "Part of Your World" to her from my OTHER favorite movie!)
Now, I know she's probably not destined for a recording contract, but you know since that day she's never stopped singing and she's gotten really good. She's sung solos every year since, and this year not only was in the school choir but auditioned and made the county youth chorale (the only one in her school district to do it!)
I love hearing her sing, but even to this day, so many performances later, I always think back to her alone on that stage, surprising everyone, proving to all of us that she could do it- my little Mulan. So our love is more than just the story of Mulan and what she dared to do- it's all wrapped up in the memory of my little girl, who also showed the world what she could do if she tried!
(if you want to see her latest and how far she's come, here she is this April singing harmony in the honors group of the "honors" youth chorale! LOL you can even hear Ferb go "Dadadadad!" and see my bad camerawork as I try to keep Phineas amused while filming, lol!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc2dgMQpaFY