School plays, you gotta love ‘em.
No seriously, you have to.
Even if your ears have been assaulted for weeks by the sound of two small children battling to perform their Christmas concert tunes in unison, even though they are doing completely different plays.
And then there’s the cold school hall, the hard wooden chairs, the bloke with the cough sat behind you, the misbehaving pre-schoolers.
And then your kid crosses the stage. She glances at the crowd, squints a little, shifts from one foot to the other, fists clamped tightly together. And you wave, and she sees you, and her hands relax, then return your wave. Her eyes focus and smile, and she shuffles into place between her friends.
And you melt. Your eyes get a little misty, you clutch your camera and remember to breathe, and you have to keep reminding yourself to breathe all the way through the show as you will them to be ok.
And I had to do this twice this year.
Here is my angel…
She was very excited as she was doing a ’solo’ – with three other people. (Hee hee). She sang beautifully though and looked very tiny beside her friends as she is a bit of a squirt, so I was pretty much a pile of goo on the floor when I was not wrestling with her little sister.
And here is my shepherd, the one on the right clutching the sheep provided by Auntie Claire…
I was a little worried before yesterday morning’s Nursery play, as Miss M refused to try on her costume until the weekend before and was adamant she was ‘a bit shy’ and wouldn’t be able to sing. This was not true.
She sang her little heart out. She sang her socks off. She sang the birds down from the trees. And I gathered them up and hugged them to me.
She knew every word, every action.
She smiled, she clapped, she mouthed the words in an exaggerated fashion that was both hilarious and completely adorable, and she clapped when the audience clapped and just went with the moment.
Needless to say I am a very proud Mummy, and my eyes are a little sore.
December 16th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
I tried to leave a comment and got an error.
I was just saying that this made me all gooshy inside too, and I can’t wait for Kindergarten when Sugar will be doing something like this.
December 16th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I sense at leaste one thesbian in the family. YAY!
December 16th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Oh, Jo. They are so beautiful! Congratulations on their stellar performances….I know how the ‘momma puddle’ feels….a bit like a rich chocolate custard.
December 16th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Aw, that’s so sweet! I am always on the edge of my seat whenever my children are performing. I have good reason to be. You never know what they’re going to do. I’m the mom with the kid you see in the funny videos ruining the school play.
December 16th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I remember those days. I was always fraught with emotion myself and always hoped they would pull it off and they always did somehow. I remember my daughter as a preschooler rocking the imaginary baby Jesus in her arms and singing along loudly to the accompanying song without the least bit of shyness. I was so proud. Our own kids always are the best, aren’t they?
December 17th, 2008 at 12:14 am
We went to Amy’s one recently.
It was wonderful, I was half expecting to find it excruciating but the moment she came on my heart melted.
December 17th, 2008 at 12:30 am
You have every right to be proud mommy. KB joined the choir and enjoys every minute of it. I didn’t take the camera to the Christmas program this year because I left it mom’s after JB’s BD party.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:51 am
AAAAAHhhh gorgeous! Well done for choosing top costumes.. I put my eldest in tights in front of 180 parents – whoops! They are beautiful – well done you.
BM x
December 17th, 2008 at 4:51 am
What a wonderful post Jo and you really need to frame those photos that are absolutely brilliant! Brilliant, I tell you! I hate that we have come to the point in the States that you dare not utter the word God in school (damn atheists) and so now Christmas pageants for my Arianna….oh God, I’m going to cry, lol…thank you for sharing yours .
hugs
Sandi
December 17th, 2008 at 6:01 am
I can’t wait for my daughter to reach this age…(and then a again I can wait don’t want to wish these glorious years away)…How lovely.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:06 am
Miss E shy? And I’m a pink elephant with yellow spots, a sparkly green truck and madonna-style horns!
(Miss H off school, poorly tummy, clearly I have too much time on my hands, may have to start posting multiple replies to pass the time!)
December 17th, 2008 at 6:08 am
I meant ‘Miss M shy?’ not Miss E who has always been a quiet and retiring child!!!
December 17th, 2008 at 7:24 am
I’m proud, too.
Hugs,
Another theatre mom
December 17th, 2008 at 11:01 am
What Lee said …
December 17th, 2008 at 11:45 am
I would be proud to , its wonderful seeing our little ones growing up and doing these things.
December 17th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Aw….. how cute! Yes, I loved going to school concerts, but I sure don’t miss the cold nights, walking blocks because you couldn’t find a parking spot, the crowds, the cameras, the stifling heat of the gym…
But it was all worth it. Now I just have the videos to entertain me.
December 18th, 2008 at 1:29 am
I know that combined feeling of terror and pride as one’s child performs in public. I remember Brainbox when he gave his first public piano recital (sadly he’s given up music now) and, just before he walked to the piano, he turned to me and said, “I’m a bit nervous.” I pretended to be cool but was a jangle of nerves. And he performed well. Phew!
December 18th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
First visit to your site by the way. Love your shepherd, my shepherd had the same costume, god bless Tesco!
December 19th, 2008 at 4:17 am
Lovely, lovely pictures, and the story is one that all we mums have, don’t we. Mine is of my son, then aged eight, dressed in top hat and tail coat [made by me out of crepe paper, tus having a very short life] singing Pretty Polly Hopkins to a little red headed girl. I met her not too long ago and she confessed that she was in love with him for years and years. He is now 44.
December 19th, 2008 at 6:00 am
CONGRATS on making Post of the Day Nomination!
Sandi
December 21st, 2008 at 8:12 am
Corey it is just so lovely and scary and exciting. I love it. I was so proud of my two monkeys. Miss E was totally overwhelmed her first time as she was only 3 years and 4 months and quite shy. Miss M can be shy but she loves singing so much so I thought she’d be ok, and as you know she’s nearly 4 now so that bit older than E was. I was still so nervous for her, but she did great and she made me very proud. Though I’d have been proud if she forgot all her words and hid the whole time, it’s such a big thing for them to do.
Susan, I’d love that. I want them to be confident as I never was and I think drama
is a good way for them to learn this while being part of a team and having fun. Miss E goes to drama club after school and loves it.
Leendaluu, that is exactly how it feels. I love it.
Jen, those are the kids that make the school play, not ruin it. My friend’s little one was the liveliest Angel Gabriel you ever saw and she was brilliant.
Finely Tuned Woman you just described Miss M exactly when they sang Away in a Manger. And yes, our kids are always the best.
Dan, yep, Daddy’s do the heart melty thing too. It is inescapable.
Katie, it’s just the best isn’t it? And I can’t imagine ever getting tired of it. Unless they did it every day…then it would get a bit much.
Bush Mummy, your little one looks adorable in those tights. So cute.
Sandi, awwww I bet Arianna is gorgeous in whatever she’s in. Miss E and M are in a Catholic primary school so the nativity is always a theme, but I think that’s true of most primary schools in the UK to a certain extent.
Carol, it’s lovely but it does go too fast so you’re right, enjoy those years.
Rosie, hee hee, I know. And Miss E is quite shy at school apparently. Who’d have thought it?
Gel, hee hee, I will have to come and see.
Daryl, hee hee. The meltiness.
Laura it really is. It’s that first little bit of responsibility for them, kind of. You’re just willing them to be ok.
Maureen, when you see them it makes all the stress worth it doesn’t it?
Dumdad, it’s the weirdest scariest feeling isn’t it? And wow, piano recitals, brilliant.
Hi Guider. I think almost every shepherd on the stage had that costume, heh heh. God bless Tesco, or Schmesco as we like to call it, indeed.
Moannie, that’s so lovely. And your son did really well doing a solo at eight, it’s still so young.
Sandi, thanks. David is a star.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:22 am
Yes, agreed, gotta love school plays. They get so excited when they have a speaking part and they are so adamant about the costumes (Mrs. Aldridge said we musn’t buy anything new? So I am supposed to have “biblical clothes” around the house?)
Merry Christmas to you all!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Brilliant.
My boy’s nursery nativity got cancelled, but it was absolutely a Kodak moment last year.
Shame I forgot my camera.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Susanna, you really should have biblical clothes around the house you know. Tsk. ;D
SingleParentDad, it’s just the best isn’t it. It was MIss M’s first time so I had no idea what to expect but the kid done good. I bet Max was adorable last year. He must have been so tiny.