Youngest son in his school show performing Annie’s Hard Knock Life
Recital season is my favorite time of the year! This weekend, both of my boys performed on stage––the youngest in his school’s annual show, and the oldest in a drum recital and a citywide poetry festival.
I live for such moments! Not just for the cuteness factor, the pictures, the videos etc., but recitals represent a crowning moment. The glorious culmination of the Herculean effort exerted every single day starting at 6:30 am when I awake naturally without fail to get my boys fed, dressed, motivated, washed, brushed, moisturized, loved, hugged and off to school for another day.
The never-ending energy–the patience, the organizing, the monitoring and overseeing that I engage in day in and day out is mind blowing, but always gratifying. Staying on top of my sons to be nice, kind, well-mannered gentlemen; respectful to their teachers; friendly to their peers; to put their very best foot forward everyday; to strive academically and unleash their potential is a constant effort. Encouraging (some days forcing!) them to follow the house rules; to be humble and grateful; to complete their chores without reminders (WHEW! Can’t wait for this to happen!); and have my boys adhere to the values my husband and I are laying as their foundation.
On and on!
It seems endless.
Oldest son performing Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” with his all kid band, The Unshushables
Raising kids is the toughest job in the world. We parents don’t always know what to do. [Correction: A great deal of the time we don’t!] But we do our best! We learn on the job, we figure it out, we make mistakes, we drop the ball, we stink it up, we forget things, we miss deadlines, we teach a bad habit, we show our worst selves in front of them, we don’t always walk the walk. We are human; but we constantly strive to be better, and do better so our children can be the best versions of themselves. As parents we push our kids on to their own personal greatness–just as we are in the midst of our own crazy and imperfect lives, desperately trying to figure it all out.
Most of the time we parents are stretched! I’m exhausting myself just writing about it! Phew!
But in recital season, when the curtains go back, and those little faces are up on stage and it’s SHOWTIME, we moms and dads are finally redeemed! All the hard work: the prayers; the worries; the tears; the fears; the frustrations; the hopes; the doubts and the angst are worth it!
At SHOWTIME, all the “practice” has paid off– not just for our kids performing in their recitals, but for us—for every mom and dad, and everything we did to get them to that point. During recital season we realize we’ve done something right! Our kids have reached a milestone that reveals their potential to themselves, and we parents can celebrate our huge part in that. Our babies, who we love more than life itself, are up on the stage of life, growing before our eyes, becoming the people they are destined to be. And we are in tears, clapping like crazy, recording every bit of it on our devices but most of all, recording it in our hearts. Our children are on the stage called life and we are the producers, directors, cast, audience, promoters and their most loyal and exuberant fans.
At SHOWTIME, when it all comes together, I’ve come to realize that we should stand for a bow, too. So all you parents, guardians, grandparents and caretakers, take a bow!
Standing O!
Encore!
We did it!!!!!
once upon a soapbox 