Dancefest ’08 – Oh, the tears!

Today was the last and final Family Picnic and Dancefest event for Sportsboy at his elementary school. Each class does a dance – from the Chicken Dance (1st grade) to the Hip Hop (5th grade). The odd numbered grades and then also 6th grade pull the parents up to dance too. It’s huge fun and watching the kids grow from year to year is a treat. I sat with all my friends who have 5th grade boys (our baseball and football friends) and THEY started crying first!! I swear! Anyway, year after year, we watched the 6th graders sitting in their chairs all dressed up watching grade after grade. Finally, they are introduced and the a very somber sounding classical piece is played as they walk two by two out onto the blacktop. The parents get quiet, cameras snap snap snap and moms start to cry. Doesn’t matter if you are the mom of a 6th grader or not, it is nearly impossible not to be taken in by the moment. But, if you ARE the mom of a 6th grader? Well, then one of your friends may have taken a picture of you while you were trying to laugh away with the tears. Because you know you need to steady your hand to take pictures as they first dance with each other. THEN you need to steady your knees because YOU have to dance with your son. Oh. My.

I think I did OK. I mean, I really did hold it together while we danced. I had to because my little guy would have cried with me otherwise! So we danced first with me trying to pick up the pattern of the steps, then he successfully reached up to twirl me, then I was able to look up and see some of the other dad/daughter and mother/son combinations..see that there were a few sniffles going on in there…turn away! Breathe. Dance. See Grumpy taking a picture. Ack! (yes, my sweet friends took photos since we never know if SB’s dad will share his so when I get those, I will share..I am not TOO embarrassed.)

Then hurried goodbyes, oddly NOT saying, “same time next year?” to the group of families who I always sit with. Need to get back to work. Steadying myself as I drive. Then, this song comes on:

And it is these lines which make me all verklempt again and scrounging for tissues in the car:

When you cried I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears
And I’ve held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me

I know the song has nothing to do with what I was feeling – but don’t those lines just..*apply* so perfectly to the bittersweet stages of parenting? And oh, how she sings it!

So then I am a mess all over. BUT…ah, thank the Zonies for snapping me out of it. What is a Zonie you ask? A tourist from Arizona staying here to avoid the blistering heat of their home town. They booger up our roads and beaches all summer and drive us nuts. Especially when THEY drive. Because they can’t…and they need to slow down to see all the pretty scenery. Like…the ocean! The mini van in front of me literally turned onto left onto the coast road (which I drive up to get to work, it’s my commuter road, but their scenic drive) and slammed on his brakes!! Went like, 5 miles an hour down the bridge!! Then I saw it – the Arizona license plate and the people IN the van pointing at the ocean. Look! Wow! Water!!! I let out a “STOOPID ZONIES!!!” and tail gated them until we got past the beach and I got another lane and then I wizzed past. Bad me, but hey, I felt a lot better after that 🙂