As a parent, I have spent over 20 years trying my best to learn who my children are, to nurture them and teach them to embrace their uniqueness, to think outside the box and to understand that life is meant to be an adventure. Today’s Rant is not to ask if you agree or disagree, but to praise my daughter Ava for actually getting my message.

Ava has always been a free spirit; her creativity and uniqueness has guided her and been her strength. To no one’s surprise, my daughter is a BOSS. She wants to be a film director and trust me, if anyone is going to make it in that crazy world it is Ava. She was born with confidence; I cannot take credit for that. What I will take credit for is nurturing her creativity and the mental freedom that instills. I taught her to believe she can be anything she wants to be. I taught her to have unwavering faith in herself and a steely determination to succeed and these traits are now finely woven into her DNA. I could not be prouder.

Creative people don’t take linear paths but as a child who has been mentally “trained” to go to college, Ava suddenly had a hard time understanding the concept of the road less traveled. Let me be clear, she fundamentally understands it, but now was the time for her to walk the walk. And it has been harder than we thought. She did not get into the film schools of her choice and we needed to make some really big decisions. Does she do the “typical” college path, an Arts school or does she explore and find that proverbial road less traveled? Ava was faced with a decision that I knew she had to make alone. She needed to stop scrolling on Instagram and seeing who was accepted where and she needed to stop worrying about wearing a College T-shirt on her school’s Acceptance Day. I watched my child struggle and as we all know, we are only as happy as our most unhappy child!

There were moments when I thought she would give in to the pressures of today and go to a typical college, but my girl dug deep and made the choice to follow her dreams. Europe here she comes!
Ava will spend the first semester studying in Spain earning college credits and then she will be off to live on a Chateau in France to make films and create art with other creatives while learning French and French cooking. As adults, we would sign up for this tomorrow, right? But for an 18-year-old, this is bigger than a gap year in Europe, it is standing up and saying to the world, I am different and I will follow my own path.

So, I say to you Ava, I could not be prouder of your choices. Your faith, determination and self-confidence will take you anywhere you want to go. Just remember, straight lines are not really our style, anyway!

#academyawards #oscars2030 #bestdirector #girlboss #femaledirectors #kathyrnbigelow #chloezhao #nancymeyers #avaduVernay #avadilorenzo

xx 

Mom