When Their Passion Becomes Your Reality

When Their Passion Becomes Your Reality

I’ll admit it—I was not expecting my daughter to pick the drums. Coming from a flute player (and a former band kid myself), I pictured something a little…quieter. Maybe the clarinet like her brother? A sweet little violin? But nope. She was all in on percussion, and I had to brace myself for the inevitable noise.

At first, every offbeat thud and crash tested my patience. Learning an instrument is messy, loud, and full of mistakes. But here’s the thing—so is growth. And after three years of practice, she just made the honor band. Watching her find her passion, work through the rough patches, and own her talent has been one of the most joyful parts of motherhood.

The Hardest (and Best) Part of Parenting

One of the toughest parts of parenting is stepping back and letting your kids make their own choices. Sometimes, those choices make total sense. Other times, you’re left thinking, Really? THIS is what you’re going with?

When my daughter chose drums over, say, something a little easier on the ears (flute, piano, literally anything quieter), I had my doubts. Just like I had my doubts about committing to travel sports at such a young age—weekends on the road, late-night dinners in the car, uniforms always somewhere but never where they should be.

But here’s the thing: their passions aren’t ours to control.

As much as I want to smooth the path, the real magic happens when I let them take the lead. When I let them struggle through the tough notes and fight for their spots on the team. When I let them feel the weight of responsibility, learn from their own mistakes (not practicing or being prepared for practice), and experience the joy of hard-earned success.

Letting go is hard. But watching them grow into themselves? That’s the best part.

And if you need a good laugh, my latest instagram reel gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like when your kid picks the loudest instrument in the band. Instagram vs. Reality, middle school band edition. 🎶😂

Check it out on @BJoyfullyMindful on Instagram.

With love,

Brittany