{"id":1773,"date":"2014-07-18T20:00:30","date_gmt":"2014-07-19T00:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/?p=1773"},"modified":"2014-08-05T07:18:13","modified_gmt":"2014-08-05T11:18:13","slug":"pippin-one-year-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/?p=1773","title":{"rendered":"Pippin, one year later"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today was the end of the week camp talent show. \u00c2\u00a0This was\/will be the only week Brendan is at my school for camp. \u00c2\u00a0Despite not being there before, and never one to be a wall flower, he decided (on Monday) he would be in the talent show. \u00c2\u00a0In true Brendan fashion (pun intended) he wore a costume, wig and sang Let it Go.<\/p>\n

He didn’t care what anyone would think of his dress, wig or singing. \u00c2\u00a0He was going to do it his way. \u00c2\u00a0Performing after all is what he loves most. \u00c2\u00a0He was purposely put as the finale and got a standing ovation from the councilors who congratulated him after the show. \u00c2\u00a0I even got a text from a staff member saying after a tough week he made it all seem ok.<\/p>\n

\"DSC00238\"<\/a>I couldn’t help but think about one year ago tonight. \u00c2\u00a0It was opening night of Pippin<\/a>, the first of the six\u00c2\u00a0performances Brendan played Theo. \u00c2\u00a0He was there only two weeks but I really believe what he learned- not just in the classes and from those working there, but more from the other kids- made an indelible impact. \u00c2\u00a0I really believe because of the love and acceptance he found with those\u00c2\u00a0kids who were\u00c2\u00a0a little older than him- boys and girls- he really embraced being himself. \u00c2\u00a0They liked him for who he was. \u00c2\u00a0He could sing songs, play the girl part, talk about musicals, bring a pink lunchbox and wear whatever he wanted. \u00c2\u00a0They invited him to sit with them at lunch, run lines and talk about the ins and outs of backstage.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8454\"<\/a>I point to his time at Pippin and friendships with a few of the older boys in particular as a reason for why he was so successful being himself in first grade. \u00c2\u00a0He could be Merida at Halloween and a fashion stylist on career day because that’s what he wanted to do. \u00c2\u00a0His confidence is impressive and more than one adult has said they wish to be him when they grow up. \u00c2\u00a0I do too. \u00c2\u00a0Seeing the example of the boys at drama who were twelve and thirteen telling him he was cool and having similar interests made him feel special. \u00c2\u00a0Keeping in touch with one and going to each other’s shows has meant the world to him.<\/p>\n

I love that Bren\u00c2\u00a0can be who he wants to be- authentic, independent and carefree. \u00c2\u00a0He is the happiest of kids and he radiates love and energy. \u00c2\u00a0Drama has been his outlet for this, his support for this and future. \u00c2\u00a0I can’t think of a greater gift than continuing what he loves and meeting more people who help him grow into the person he is meant to be, a person loved for who he is and all his unique gifts and talents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today was the end of the week camp talent show. \u00c2\u00a0This was\/will be the only week Brendan is at my school for camp. \u00c2\u00a0Despite not being there before, and never one to be a wall flower, he decided (on Monday) … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1773"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1800,"href":"https:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773\/revisions\/1800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.obriensr.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}