Shopping

When the kids were little, it was torture shopping with the children. Grocery shopping was bad, clothes shopping for myself was worse. The kids were usually bored and cranky by the time it was over, and I was frustrated and frazzled. Kids and shopping was NEVER fun.

A few weeks ago my teenager earned as a reward a $10 shopping spree to Target from her orthodontist. We went over to the store, and I prepared myself for frustration and misery as she agonized over her purchases. We started with clothes, and didn't find anything in her price range. We went to electronics, books, music, toys, art supplies, jewelry, and accessories, and my daughter pored over all of her options. We went to makeup and dug through the aisles there to find the perfect things. An hour passed. I was beginning to twitch. My daughter announced that she wanted to go BACK to clothing, because she didn't see everything before. I sighed heavily, and made some grumpy remark about how she needed to make a decision soon.

She chose a few outfits she wanted to try on just for fun, and we made our way to the dressing room, me pointing out that nothing she wanted to try on was in her price range. As we entered the dressing room, she excitedly said, "This is so much fun!"

Oh!

I had been grumpy and impatient through most of this experience, never realizing that my daughter was thinking of this as fun! She wanted to go through the entire store not because she was indecisive, but because she was enjoying herself. And I was missing it because MY attitude was bad! I had to make a serious attitude readjustment, but it wasn't too late. We had fun trying on clothes, and she managed to find just the right thing for her. She came home happy, and we had a great time.

I have to seriously rethink my position on shopping with the kids. They're not so little anymore.

Breaking Character

When I was a Sophomore, our High School Musical was Fiddler on the Roof. I was cast as Hodel, the middle daughter who runs off with the communist. I loved the play, and count it as one of the highlights of high school.

The second night of our performance, we were performing the Sabbath Song. Everyone was supposed to be quiet and reverent while the candles were lit, and we sang "May the Lord protect and defend you..." The song ends with a chanted "Amen" and as the music fell silent, there would be a silent pause before the candles were blown out, and the scene ended.

That was how it was supposed to work. On this night, however, just as the music ended and we were waiting for the candles to go out, a little boy in the audience yelled out to his mother,his little voice loud and clear for everyone to hear, "Why are they all dressed so funny?" That was it. I broke out laughing. Thank heaven for the candles going out and making the stage dark just moments later, or it would have been even worse. It didn't matter that everyone else was laughing too. I had broken character in a BIG way.

The show must go on, however, and I was able to get back into character and keep going, and everything was fine. I still can't listen to that song, however, without hearing in my head, "Why are they all dressed so funny?"