Always Dance Like You Have Tiger Pants

Amanda got her first job, working at a secondhand store. Bag after bag she placed clothes on racks until all of the bags for that day were empty.

One day, she reached into a bag and out came a beautiful pair of tiger pants. She had always dreamed of being a dancer, standing in the spotlight on a glamorous stage in front of a cheering audience, and she knew these pants would make her dream come true. But things happened – as they usually do – and in the end she learned a wonderful lesson.

It’s a lesson that will be echoed from this day forward by mothers who reassure their daughters in times of doubt, as they remind them of this story and say… “Always dance like you have tiger pants!”

Dedicated to Amanda

The story Always Dance Like You Have Tiger Pants was inspired by Amanda, a very friendly, outgoing girl, who also has Down syndrome. We met while I was playing music at a center for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

She was excited to have her first job, working at the local Goodwill store, and she was even more excited when she found a pair of tiger pants as she unpacked a donated bag of clothes.

As she told me the story of how she found the tiger pants she danced in a circle and shared her dream of becoming a dancer. I could tell from talking with her that she was a special girl and didn’t really need the tiger pants to feel that way. That’s when the story began to unfold… first as a song, and then it evolved and it grew into this book.

I hope you enjoy reading Always Dance Like You Have Tiger Pants as much as I enjoyed writing it.

And thank you for sharing your story and your dream, Amanda!

Review from Kathy F: “There will forever be moments in the lives of moms all over the world when they remind their daughters to ‘Always dance like you have tiger pants.'” 

Listen to Amanda’s Angel sing, “Always dance like you have tiger pants”.