The Joy of School Programs

School programs.  Joy or Duty?  I love a good program and love the Christmas sing, but there is a level of stress that accompanies such things.  I feel it almost every time.  Am I sitting on the right side?  Or are they going to come out and be clear across the gym from where I am?  Will they see me?  Do they know I am here?  Can I see?  Am I where my wiggly kids aren't going to bother those around me?  Am I in someone's way?  Oh, then there is the following....  My sweet friend just emailed me her experience.  One of her first Christmas sing-a-longs.  She wrote her experience so well, I can feel that lump in my stomach I get at programs, just from her eloquent writing.  She gave me permission to share.  Well done Shannon Peterson.  I am so glad you survived!

Barrett’s Jingle Jam was this morning.

Each grade sings two songs…..super cute. You know, uplifting Christmas music stuff.

And I really do love Christmas music. Still love that.

So by the time I got there today, no seats were really available except for the back row. And since I am totally short (as a matter of fact, I am aware of this), I didn’t want to sit because I can’t usually see when I do that. Instead of sitting I just decided to stand in the back of the room kind of in the middle so I could see Barrett when their grade came out.

Our school doesn’t do all the grades in order. So they started with resource and then 6^th grade, which was great. Then it was the 4^th graders……and now the story begins.

One particular parent of a 4^th grader really wanted pictures of her kid (well lots of parents did this, but there was one special parent). Even though the kids are singing, and moving, and not really in their best picture perfect moment. And even though we were clear at the back of the room. Okay. Fine. Whatever. But she came and stood, oh yeah, right in front of my face. Literally. MY ONLY LINE OF SITE WAS HER BACK. Awesome. To top it off, she smelled like cigarette smoke, and it was just too much. So I tapped her and said, “Excuse me, can you please move over, you just stood right in front of my face.”

 And she said, “Oh, sorry. You could stand on a chair. That’s what I’d do if I were you.”

 Okey Dokey.

 I just kind of laughed. But then she said it again. For Real. FOR REAL. “There’s a chair right there – you can just stand on it.” And I just looked at her kind of, and said, “I’m not going to stand on the chair.” (NOTE: Said chair actually was a person’s chair that they were using, and had gold fish crackers all over it. Also, um….I’m not standing on chairs at my kid’s recital….weird). And then…..yeah…..she said “Okay, but that’s what I’d do if I were you.”

 I didn’t make a new friend.

 She did move. Slightly.

 Life was better. Slightly.

 For a minute.

 So then after the 4^th grade it was the 2^nd grade.

Well, said special parent didn’t leave (guess she had a 2^nd grader too). And so, to my great displeasure, yet ANOTHER parent came and nudged right into the other side of my space (where there really was no room, but okey doke), and she kind of leaned forward to record her kid. FUN-NESS.

So I’ve got 1^st parent to the right-front of me, and 2^nd parent to the left-front of me. And I am literally looking out of a triangle space that I have been totally boxed into.

It was not awesome. But I didn’t say anything because I could actually see the stage and I have a kid too…..and when you need a picture, you need a picture. So whatever.

After the 2^nd grade, the 3^rd grade came up. My line of site was ROSES again. Totally happy…..feeling the relief.

But then after the 3^rd grade – it was the 1^st grade.

My kid is in 1^st grade. So I really cared about this one.

I didn’t bring my camera because there is no way I would have been able to get even a semi-decent picture from where I was (I suck at photography….so anything I took would have been a disaster).

 But…..lots of parents didn’t agree with this logic. Which is fine! I support picture taking. Just not in front of my face.

 By this time, I had found Barrett on stage. We were waving. We were happy…….and THEN

 It happened again

 3 or 4 people came up and stood – oh yes- DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME.

 So I sort of lost it.

 After I could see they were permanently there to stay, I said, “REALLY?????” (just pretend like you’re listening to me say really, but in a really annoyed voice with a face to match).

 And then I said: “We all have kids.”

 A couple people kind of smirked.

 But the ones in my way did clear out. A few said sort of sorry. One guy said too many people were trying to get through and that’s why he had to stand right in front of me…..

 So, I’m the crazy parent who had the jingle jam melt down. Crazy jingle jam lady. Yeah, that’s me.

 But I did get to CLEARLY see the entire 1^st grade performance. Which I liked. Totally cute. Waved to Barrett the whole time.

 The end.