1 Mother 2 Another

About six weeks ago, I was going through
Maddie’s weekly school folder – the folder sent home
every Wednesday with all “important” school-wide
communications – when I came across a form for Fine Arts
Night. Apparently all the kids are working on an “important
piece of art” that will be displayed on that night, and for a
mere THIRTY-FIVE DOLLARS you could buy a frame for their
masterpiece so it would be properly displayed for everyone to see.


These are the situations that you as a parent must weigh very
carefully. Talking to your child about this might create problems:
if it’s not really on her radar, then you are bringing it to
her attention will mean you are suddenly required to buy a frame
and block out the evening for touring the “gallery”. On
the other hand, if you assume she’s not interested and then
find out last-minute that it’s burning in her heart,
you’ll be spending the night before the big event driving
around the city at 11 p.m. looking for a 24-hour frame store that
sells something EXACTLY like the one every other kid is getting.


It’s tricky.

I made a mental note of the deadline for
ordering the frame and left it unmentioned, waiting to see if
Maddie would bring it up. She did not. Thinking I might just dodge
the bullet, I went back to the info sheet to read it one more time
and found this little gem: “All students grades K through 3
will be doing a short singing performance as well.”


Crap. No way this one’s off my kid’s radar.


“Maddie,” I asked casually the next day (faux casual is
my de facto standby mode), “Is there any time in the future
that you might be singing somewhere that the grown-ups can come
hear you? I always hear about the great songs you learn in music
and I’d love to hear you sing them.”


“Of course,” Maddie said matter-of-factly. “At
the fine arts night in two weeks! Didn’t you know
that?”


Well, yes.


So that was settled; I quickly wrote my check (grumbling just a
teensy bit) and said a small prayer of thanks for catching it in
time.


Since then, Maddie’s been obsessive about preparing for the
event – the singing portion, that is. I’m sure her
art’s done and framed and she’ll point it out in
passing; but she’s been rehearsing her songs and dance moves
(oh yes, there are moves) over and over again. She’ll only
let me see glimpses, preferring to keep most of it a secret until
the big show.


Tonight.


You bet there’ll be a video camera there.