Merry Etiquette! {RANT]

The week leading up to Christmas has proved as insanely busy as we now expect it to be. I have been wrapping gifts, searching for gifts I know I bought, reviewing lists, and wishing I had more jolly in my holly, but it has been a long year and an even longer month. Some of you know what I saying. Others are questioning whether I ate enough cookies.

Don’t worry, some elves have been dropping off goodies for us. This has been getting us through since other priorities have kept me from doing my holiday baking. So far, I have received a dozen pairs of adorable socks, hot cocoa with a mug and fun flavor options, a gingerbread house which my family decorated beautifully while I got distracted by laundry and tidying, tiny little cookies, festive snack mix, hugs from my two favorite girls, and other things I have already forgotten. My brain is already back to pondering last minute gifts and some time with friends…

But I was able to attend Christmas concerts for both of my little angels. They seem to have inherited the problem of breathing wrong, so they end up yawning halfway through any given song. Luckily, they are adorable, so it somehow worked for them. I was able to get one child’s attention early on, so they knew I was there. The other didn’t see me until the end of the program and it showed. She was glum and barely involved as she sang along with her friends during the first round of songs. During the second round, She was animated and, dare I say, excited to be singing her heart out.

Aside from seeing my two favorite girls, I got to see some of their friends and some of mine. I even reconnected with another mom that I would like to get know better. And her child and mine would love to spend more time playing together, so I think this will work out for everybody. I also got to sit with friends both days and see their adorable babies sing along with mine. In fact, I got to see more of their kids than mine. This is where the rant begins.

Who is the modern Emily Post? I need to know, so I can look to see if she has updated etiquette for the use of cell phones during public performances. Yes, it is just a kids’ show. Yes, we all want to take some pictures and maybe some video for long-distance grandparents. But what is the etiquette for this???

I usually try to make sure my camera screen is hidden by my gargantuan, alien head. I also pick a spot and try my best not to move around, so people behind me can, hopefully, do the same and make some memories that can be shared (even by those of us who can barely draw a stick figure). I fear I might be alone. The principal asked us to remain seated, yet people kept standing up to get a better view or waving their hands in the air, screens out. One guy arrived late and slow walked all the way across the room and then stood chatting between this short woman and her short child for a couple minutes before finally sitting down. 

And the rudeness didn’t end there. A family near me kept a running commentary, which begs the question of why they came if they didn’t want to see and hear the kids. Or maybe their kid wasn’t performing yet, so they assumed no one else wanted to hear their own kids? Admittedly, I made the occasional comment because some kids that I didn’t know (pretty much every kindergarten student) was too cute not to make sure they were seen by my friends, but I tried to not be a constant voice in the background. I also tried to make sure I couldn’t be easily overheard by people six feet from me—over the music…

And the icing on the cake resulted from three grade levels participating in each show. I understand that people have work. I know that watching other people’s kids perform might not be your jam. I realize that getting in and out of an overloaded parking lot can be a hassle. But how do you think the last group of kids feels when they look out an audience that has shrunk to a third of its original size? Add to that, the fact that people disregarded the principal’s information about the flow of students to and from the stage and basically waded through the groups of students trying to stay with their class. And these adults, who should know better, sometimes felt it necessary to show displeasure that the children were exactly where they were meant to be by glaring at them. Not cool. Also not in the spirit of the season.

Hopefully, Christmas will work it’s magic on me and turn me into more of a jolly old elf by the new year.

The Answer Might Scare You [RANT]

It’s been a week. Internal struggles abound. External struggles always seem to join up when that happens. Throw in some cute kids and it’s a wild ride. 

Had some communication lapses on Saturday and thought my girls were going to disown me and request a new model. We were supposed to get together with one of their friends but lunchtime passed and we neither saw nor heard from them, so I double checked and we hadn’t committed to anything. It turned out it was a difference in perceptions of lunchtime combined with a project taking longer than anticipated. Three happy kids and three entertained adults resulted.

Sunday brought more child adorableness. In my church, we have a program where the children sing and share thoughts about God at least once a year. This Sunday was the happy day. Quick highlights:

Tiny humans signing while singing some of the songs.

Nervous human babies looking like they need snuggles because stage fright is real and receiving those snuggles.

My daughter perking up when she realized mama was watching her.

The two girls taller than me towering over the tiny four year olds.

My friends’ son lip-syncing with the most amusing expressions on his face.

My daughter, right behind him, using her Scooby jacket as a puppet.

Almost shaking loose a suppressed giggle over this impromptu vaudeville show.

Songs in tiny voices.

The rest of the week has been spent in contemplating life, the universe, and everything. I may have shared some of my aggravations with more people than I should have. One of my friends sent me books to help me process. Not sure the books all apply to the situation at hand. But what do I know, I only think about my problems to the exclusion of sleep and fight battles for longer than most people would bother. Sometimes, it works out. Sometimes, it clearly isn’t going to.

However, I have confirmation that some of my thought processes are definitely not flawed. Now, we just see if the right people hear what I have to say and choose to be in this with me, right?

Life isn’t meant to be lived alone. Why else would we be born into families? And if your family falls short, choose more family. Pick and choose sisters and brothers from your friends. And if you need extra supervision and guidance, choose more family. Though my biological mother has passed, I currently have five moms listed in my phone. And I pull people into my family conglomeration from time to time because we need each other. I want to thank those who are willing to deal with being part of my family. I apologize if I overstep. We’ll just have to work on our communication. Just be patient with me.

Anyway, I doubled down on adorable today by attending a parade at my children’s school. Kids in each grade level dressed as storybook characters, idioms, or famous people. I saw so many Amelia Earharts and Taylor Swifts, flying pigs and raining cats and dogs, and Waldos everywhere. I also saw so many other adorable creatures and people. 

I started snapping pictures of every kid I knew. With the sun shining on me and people milling about, I figured I might get a good photo for a friend even if some of my pictures only included a wing of one child or a hint of skirt of the other. Hopefully, my offerings bring happiness.

And now to accomplish other tasks before walking my tiny clones around to claim candy and bring joy. Hopefully, substack gets a new post today, too. I have been working on it, but it doesn’t quite feel ready for public consumption yet.