I’ve been a mom for over 16 years and most of the time I am pretty convinced I “know” my kids.
This weekend, favorite son and daughter were part of a huge high school musical. Girl-child was in the chorus, and son had a leading role, as Ren in the musical Footloose. (Yes, those of my generation will recall that it was Kevin Bacon who originated the role in the 80’s movie by the same name. Kevin Bacon…Be still my heart…)
All of the kids have been working for months…literally since last December…to get the play ready. Son had taken voice lessons, private dance lessons, you name it, to get ready for the auditions. He landed the role. I was a bit worried because he’s only a sophomore and it is a big part.
Opening night was last Thursday. Son was the first one on stage, singing the first line from the famous song “Footloose.” My heart swelled. Son danced. He sang. He did the moonwalk, the worm and some maneuver that involved flipping over a chair (while standing on it) without falling down. He leapt through the air over one of the other cast members.
Son had warned me that there was a part in the show that I would not like. When I saw the chair maneuver and the leaping thing, I assumed those were the moves he thought would unsettle his sometimes over-protective mom.
Then, right at the end of the first act, I looked up to see son take a running leap off a set that is at least 10 feet off the ground. He was doing some sort of aerial spin. I gasped. I was stunned. I almost had a heart attack. In fact, I didn’t recover from the sight of him free falling on stage until well after 1 a.m. that night. (In my shock over seeing him in the air, I didn’t notice that no less than 12 cast members were positioned to catch him.)
At the intermission I told the choreographer I was not sure I was speaking to her. I told the director he was no longer my friend. They assured me that the preparation for the stunt had been safely and carefully planned. I still couldn’t breath.
The show was amazing. Son did things I had no idea he could do. He blew me away.
It dawned on me that as much as I think I know my kids, they never cease to amaze and surprise me. I’ve always felt like they were already “who they are” when they came to us…little souls that were completely formed. And seeing the kids on stage, doing things I never imagined I’d see them do, reminded me that who they are doesn’t have as much to do with me as I’d like to take the credit for.
I love being surprised by my kids. This weekend, watching them at the pinnacle of happiness, doing what they loved, was one of my best “mom moments” to date.