Alicia Mancini
Special collaboration
It started with his hair. It’s wavy and textured. Not straight like his brother. Next it was his tummy. It’s not as flat and skinny as his brothers. We comforted him and explained not everybody is the same and that’s ok. We love you just the way you are. Then he dropped out of gymnastics. We wanted to be respectful and understanding so we supported his decision. Then he stopped wanting to play with his friends in the alley. Now we were worried. We reached out to teachers, pediatricians’ and other parents. How was it possible that our funny, clever little boy was feeling this way? He’s only six, how could he be experiencing such depths of self loathing at such a young age? There was no question about it; Teddy was sad.
Like every parent would do we racked our brains. Trying to come up with ideas and solutions. We suggested other extracurricular activities, all of which he shut down. We spent more time together, sit down dinners, Sunday drives, all to no avail. Then one day when I picked him up from the after-school program at BGC Dawson he was excited. He was smiling and singing. Teddy told me that he had a piano lesson with John that afternoon. When we got home, he went immediately to the piano and started to play Mary Had a Little Lamb. He played it all the way through. Shocked and amazed my mother and me burst into applause. Teddy looked at us, flushed with pride, grinned, and started to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
So much goes on at BGC Dawson. Caring for our community, offering programs and activities to members of all ages. We make sure people are fed. Sometimes it’s important to remember we are also feeding peoples souls. Small interactions like that of a child and music teacher can have a huge impact on a whole family. When we foster creativity and prioritize inclusivity, we find ourselves with an environment where everyone feels welcome to try new things. I’m so happy my little boy is having that experience at his community centre. Playing the piano has helped him find something about himself to be proud of and that confidence has started to translate to other parts of his life. He’s happier and listening to him laugh with his friends and talk about ice skating is music to my ears.
