Choir concerts and a bit of perspective

I am sitting in a basement auditorium waiting for my 12 year old and his classmates to take the stage. The buzz of waiting parents, siblings, grandparents, and other assorted friends and relatives fills the air like mosquitoes on a summer evening. I'm saving 3 seats for Ken, Ben, and Elly. We decided the wait time between early arrival for warm-ups and the actual start of the concert might just do us in as the troops were clearly tired tonight. Hopefully, they will arrive soon as the spare seats are being snatched up quickly. I don't want to feel the weight of the stares of late arrivers trying to guilt me out of my seats. Just avoid eye contact...keep typing...don't look up...

This is Zachary's second choir concert of the year. Though he was reluctant to sign up for Middle School choir, he has been pleasantly surprised by the experience. Tonight, the last of the line up is a medley of Disney tunes that included songs that I sang at about his age. His practicing around the house has brought back fond memories of my choir days. It also makes me proud of Zac as he tries and succeeds at something he was so unsure about. Hopefully this night won't end up in nervous vomit as the last one did for one child. Poor guy! Oddly enough, that the same thing happened once in one of my concerts way back when. So glad it wasn't Zachary!


Phew. Ken and the kids have arrived. And just in time too...the lights are now dimmed and the kids are taking their places on the creaky risers. I will have to finish later...

Okay. Concert is done. Kids are tucked into bed. Night time is officially setting in. I am tired.

The concert was fabulous. Zac was very handsome and definitely on tune (I'm sure of it)! Eliana almost made it through the performance without needing to go to the bathroom. She just barely made it back with Ken in time for the "show stopping" Disney medley! Benjamin remained remarkably quiet with his mini stack of books to keep him occupied. And I, I was as proud as could be of my son as he belted out his songs and smiled at me between verses. How could I not be?

It's moments like these that parents can dread...squishing into a crowded auditorium, listening to the music go on and on (especially when your child doesn't sing every number), coralling younger children and hoping they will behave, staying out later than you would like on a school night, yadda yadda yadda...or relish...being one of the select few to attend the performance of the year, admiring the fact that one teacher can conduct a group of 200 young people in order to work together toward something beautiful, rejoicing in the fact that your youngest kids are sitting longer and quieter than they could have a year ago, having a family "date" on a school night, yadda yadda yadda. Funny how much perspective and attitude can make or break what we do...what I do...on a day to day basis.

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray good perspective I will keep!
Good night, ya'll!