Proud Mommy Moment with a Side of Cringe
My daughter was just in her first school musical. Aladdin, Jr., produced by Disney, follows the same basic plot of the animated film and has the same songs. Aladdin gets caught stealing, Princess Jasmine meets him in the marketplace, he gets thrown into a cave where he finds the genie's lamp, etc. Very cute reworking of the movie into a musical specifically aimed at Junior High talent levels.
It was Junior High, y'all. Really bad sets and homemade costumes and That's My Baby Up There! and some girls having to play boy roles because only three guys auditioned and That's My Baby Up There! and a few kids who were, perhaps, less than gifted vocally and That's My Baby Up There! and a couple of kids who weren't necessarily the best actors but not My Baby Up There!
In spite of those things, it was a great production. The kids worked like slaves and they gave a wonderful performance. All the adults were pretty impressed; we were not expecting anything of that caliber. The kids were thrilled. (Blogger was acting up this morn, can't give you pictures. Darn.)
I have acted since I was five. Musical Theatre was my major in college, and I have always wondered if I could have made a career out of it if I had gone to New York instead of staying home and getting married and having kids. Not that I think I got the raw end of the deal, mind you. If you knew my kids you'd know I didn't give up anything.
Which brings me to my daughter. Beth has inherited the ham gene times two, and she really is very talented. I don't know many other 15 year olds who will sit with their moms and watch Gene Kelly and Howard Keel and Barbra Streisand and be just as enthralled as she is. She can sing Phantom and Les Miz with me, and she's a pretty good little actress. I used to be so happy that I could share this with her.
Now, I am a curious yet horrifying mix of pride and jealousy. She was so good, you guys. She's a natural. I was busting out of my seams and crying and smiling, but down deep inside there was a little flare of envy. Except for special occasions when there's a church thing, I don't get to do this anymore. And I want to. She is getting to do all the stuff I loved doing, the stuff I miss doing, apparently more than I had realized. And I'm jealous. These are what I call Mommy of the Year moments- when I look at myself and I'm really disappointed in what I see.
Ah, well. Maybe I can take comfort in the fact that I'm not a stage mother; I'm not living out my dreams through my kid. I don't want to act and sing vicariously. I want to do it myself.
It was Junior High, y'all. Really bad sets and homemade costumes and That's My Baby Up There! and some girls having to play boy roles because only three guys auditioned and That's My Baby Up There! and a few kids who were, perhaps, less than gifted vocally and That's My Baby Up There! and a couple of kids who weren't necessarily the best actors but not My Baby Up There!
In spite of those things, it was a great production. The kids worked like slaves and they gave a wonderful performance. All the adults were pretty impressed; we were not expecting anything of that caliber. The kids were thrilled. (Blogger was acting up this morn, can't give you pictures. Darn.)
I have acted since I was five. Musical Theatre was my major in college, and I have always wondered if I could have made a career out of it if I had gone to New York instead of staying home and getting married and having kids. Not that I think I got the raw end of the deal, mind you. If you knew my kids you'd know I didn't give up anything.
Which brings me to my daughter. Beth has inherited the ham gene times two, and she really is very talented. I don't know many other 15 year olds who will sit with their moms and watch Gene Kelly and Howard Keel and Barbra Streisand and be just as enthralled as she is. She can sing Phantom and Les Miz with me, and she's a pretty good little actress. I used to be so happy that I could share this with her.
Now, I am a curious yet horrifying mix of pride and jealousy. She was so good, you guys. She's a natural. I was busting out of my seams and crying and smiling, but down deep inside there was a little flare of envy. Except for special occasions when there's a church thing, I don't get to do this anymore. And I want to. She is getting to do all the stuff I loved doing, the stuff I miss doing, apparently more than I had realized. And I'm jealous. These are what I call Mommy of the Year moments- when I look at myself and I'm really disappointed in what I see.
Ah, well. Maybe I can take comfort in the fact that I'm not a stage mother; I'm not living out my dreams through my kid. I don't want to act and sing vicariously. I want to do it myself.
posted by Robyn | 5:42 AM
6 Comments:
Maybe there will come a time when the kids are old enough that you can go back and live the dream. Good luck! :)
And wtg Beth on the performance! :)
Congrats to your baby up there.
Maybe there was an agent in the audience and he will sign her for a tv show and she will make tons and tons of money before she even gets out of high school and will become a force to be reckoned with in the television world and then she has the clout to get her mom her own variety show with singing and dancing and musical guests such as Steve and Edie Gorme?
No?
Oh. Just a thought.
Um...I think Edie Gorme is dead, isn't she?
That's oaky. I want Robert Goulet to come over at three and mess with my stuff.
According to wikipedia.com, she is still alive. And her name is spelled Eydie Gorme. And her husband's name is Steve Lawrence, not Gorme.
It takes a big woman to admit she was wrong, and believe me, I am a BIG WOMAN.
As soon as you reasonably can, you should go and live out your dreams. That fabulous kid got that talent from somewhere, you know.
Get used to it.
I have a daughter who sings better than I, one who writes better than I, etc.
I feel like a Martha sometimes.
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