Thursday, June 02, 2005

Play that funky music

There are many people who are happily child-free. I truly believe that in some cases this is absolutely what they want. However, sometimes I wonder if they have any idea what they're missing....

Today I left work (if you're wondering, I still don't have access to that document that I'm supposed to update) and went to see my kid play clarinet in the school's band concert.

Picture this if you will. The building used to be a small church (before the new, bigger church was put up a hundred years or so ago) and now they use it for a gym/auditorium. It's basically a big oven today. Three hundred wiggly sweaty kids. Most watching, about 25 playing in the band. Teachers, parents of the band members, and a smattering of grandparents.

There must be some molecular change that takes place in your brain when you become a parent. At least for me, because I honestly DID enjoy that band performance. All 15 minutes of it. We're talking Hot Cross Buns and exciting stuff like that, played at a labored pace. But damn if it wasn't cute to see 275 kids belting out "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" while their friends in the band played the song.

So you can keep doing whatever it is you child-free people do with your abundance of free time. Enjoy, really. As for me, I'm going to grab a quick lunch, and race out of work with minutes to spare and todo lists undone, to go and listen to my kid play the clarinet not quite in tune, every chance I get.

3 comments:

Ryan said...

I didn't expect to have kids and was perfectly ok with that. But now I cannot for a single moment imagine not having Emerson in my life. The Boy means more to me than anything. But I consider myself as having "hit the jackpot" and I'm done.

Johnny Virgil said...

You're doing a good job, Carly. Parenting isn't for everyone, and it's a rare person who does it as well as you. The world needs more parents like you two.

Anonymous said...

Then there are days when you need to take away your daughters new bike,For 10 days, that she just got last month before the monsoon's struck and it rained for 40 days.. for lying. And not just lying, but lying 3 different ways about the same thing you already knew the truth too.

But it's worth every minute.

Things will get better... right?

I distinctly remember a day in... maybe February?  I remember the moment, but not what day it was. I was sitting at work thinking about plan...