My Life: The Good, The Bad, And The Woo-Woo Dance
Yesterday we went to our local arboretum,
where they make every Monday a Mommy and Me Day. Because yesterday
was a holiday, they added a bonus – a local musician to come
do a kids’ concert that morning at no cost to us. We’d
been to hear this singer before and the girls liked him, so we were
excited about going back.
So we went to the park, and the time came for the concert.
It’d been raining so the park had moved the concert inside,
and we ended up spread out on the carpeted floor eating our picnic
lunches and pretending there weren’t two hundred kids all
around us doing the same thing. It’s one thing outside with
the sun shining and the grass tickling our feet, listening to music
in a big stone amphitheatre; it’s another thing when
it’s in a conference room – some of the charm is
lost.
At any rate, both girls seemed listless
and not quite as into it as last time – again, probably
largely because of our surroundings. But the artist got to the
point in his set where he sings The Woo-Woo Dance which, as you can
imagine, has plenty of body movements to go with it. The kids in
the audience went wild, screaming “The Woo-Woo Dance! Yeah!
Let’s do it!” as the opening bars started playing.
Maddie and Cora were unconvinced, and I started over-doing the
Woo-Woo Dance moves in an effort to entice them to join in.
And as I stuck my hands in front of me and pantomimed driving a car
while wiggling my butt and screaming “Woo! Woo!” (not
an exaggeration) I looked around and saw a sea of other moms doing
the exact same thing. This is the point at which I began thinking,
Do I even like the Woo-Woo Dance? And the answer is split.
On the one hand, this guy is pretty great with kids, the music
doesn’t suck, and it’s a morning with another person
entertaining my kids for me. I’m grateful I am not at home at
that moment with both kids pulling at my pants leg begging for
attention and some help dressing up like a fairy or a princess. In
this way, my life is good, and I love the Woo-Woo Dance.
On the other hand, if I’m being one hundred percent honest,
spending the morning doing the Woo-Woo Dance is waaaaaaaaaaay down
on my list of How I’d Like To Spend My Days. I’m
smiling and Woo-Wooing and bopping around, and suddenly I have a
flash of my former life, when I’d stroll into the city in the
morning, grab a cup of chai, and meander through the green market
or a vintage store before waltzing into the studio and working out
for an hour, only then getting to my job. So compared to that, I
really hate the Woo-Woo Dance.
But this is the path I’ve chosen, and I remind myself
I’m lucky to have been able to have a choice in the matter. I
wanted kids, I got kids, and I enjoy them (almost) every day. When
I’m with them, I strive to be with them one hundred percent,
which is why I’m gonna Woo-Woo like nobody’s business.
And I look across at my friend Heather, who is apparently about to
out-Woo-Woo me, so great is her love for her kids, and know that
when I’m with friends like this I’ll get my snatches of
“chai moments” – little bits of adult
conversation and guarded references woven in with the Woo-Woo. I
know that while the Woo-Woo Dance is a part of my life, it does not
define my life. And I love my life - the good, the bad, and the
Woo-Woo.
Everybody get up and do the Woo-Woo Dance.
And in case you think I’m exaggerating, click
target="_blank">here to listen to it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment