Chloe is still taking piano lessons and still seems to enjoy it, although she’s not as gung-ho about practicing as she was in the beginning (no surprise there).

As you can see from the photo, however, we still haven’t invested in her future as a concert pianist. She’s using the tiny play keyboard that my mom bought for her a couple of years ago, and it sits on the coffee table in the living room. She kneels to play. We haven’t even provided her with kneepads to protect her legs from rug burn.

What does this say about us as parents? That’s easy. It says that we have no faith that Chloe’s interest is going to last more than a few months. We know that as soon as we invest in a real electric keyboard (we’ve given up on the idea of an authentic piano), she’ll find a new hobby. And I know this because that’s how I was when I was a kid. Voice lessons, soccer, piano, Girl Scouts, tennis, swimming (I’m sure I’ve forgotten a bunch of activities) – I tried almost anything at least once – with a mixed record of longevity.

At some point, however, we’re going to need to bite the bullet and go keyboard shopping. But we haven’t yet determined what the threshold date is going to be – we keep pushing it back. In the meantime we’re spending a lot of money on lessons, and she can play the “Can-Can” while on her knees. Pretty impressive, no?