Raising children can be trying. At times so much so that it even tempts devoted parents to wonder, “How does the world manage to re-populate itself?” So keeping a sense of humor is really important. Here’s some crazy things kids say when taking piano lessons and practicing that parents need to be prepared to laugh at. Let’s start with the whining. Amazingly these are things I’ve heard young, beginning piano students say right after they have played a simple piece of music beautifully?
Student: “But it’s too hard.”
Parent: “It’s only too hard if you think it is.”
Student: “My fingers nails hurt.”
Parent: “We can trim your nails.”
Student: “Why do I have to look at the music?”
Parent: “Do you think I should look at the road when I’m driving?”
Student: “I’m thirsty.”
Parent: “I’m Dad.”
Student: “When can I play Fur Elise?”
Parent: “When you know how.”
Student: “When will I know how to play every song on the piano that I hear?”
Parent: “When you’re 18.”
Student: “Why do I need to play at home when I played piano at my lesson?”
Parent: “Because we can’t afford to play on your teacher’s piano every day.”
Here’s what parents of young children need to get. Kids whine. Everything your child complains about doesn’t mean anything. It’s kind of like my cat. He always stands at the door and whines, even when I just let him out. He will then whine by his food dish even though I just filled it up with his favorite kitty pellets. Why? Because it makes him feel secure to see me open the door for him one more time, and put a few more pellets in his bowl. Will he ever get tired of me opening the door and giving him more kitty pellets that he isn’t going to eat? No.
So don’t take your little kitten in piano lessons too seriously and in a few years they’ll be saying, “I can play the piano better than my parents, because I’ve been taking lessons and they didn’t get to do that.”
