Suzuki Mom's Sister

I am a suzuki mom.  This really means I am involved in my children's music lessons and instrument learning in a way that would rival the dedication of Mother Theresa.  (Okay, that is a little stretch - but it feels like it.)  There are private lessons to sit-in, participate-in, take notes in, group lessons to watch, theory lessons to schedule, masterclasses, and recitals. The ONLY way I can possibly be a suzuki mom is because of the girl in the picture.  My dedicated sister Shauna (actually she is more of the metaphor for Mother Theresa)  each year since my oldest began, has taken the "too-young-to-sit-still-child" once a week, while I am in lessons with the older ones.  She started with Emily, moved on to Clara and yesterday was her first day taking my little Benjamin while I headed to the academy to sit in Clara's cello, Emily's violin, and Jordan's piano.  

A Little Lesson:

     My children adore my sister.  She plays with them, takes them for walks, reads to them, talks to them about things they are excited about, has l o n g conversations on the phone with them about very frivolous things...but not to her.  She doesn't try to get other stuff done while she looks after them.  She is an ongoing example to me.  When Clara wakes up in the morning, she usually hands out some hugs to her parents, bosses Benjamin around for a little while and then  says "I think I need to call Shauna."