Saturday night I got to do the whole rockstar thing. My very pregnant friend Sherry took me with her to see Blue Rodeo and Steve Earle. (I earned my ticket by getting us the SCORE parking spot!). It was amazing – pathetically, this huge Canadian music fan will admit – it was my first time seeing Blue Rodeo.
Sherry’s husband plays keys for the band so it was a family affair – his mom and dad and brother were also sitting with us. After Michael’s first solo, I sat with my mouth hanging open. Incredible. We were all yelling at the top of our lungs. Then I looked down the line, and there was his mom crying her eyes out.
Dudes! Can you imagine??!! Of course she was crying! The pride! How do these parents of uber successful kids contain themselves? I cheer like Will’s won a gold medal when he craps on the toilet for godsakes. If he was up playing in a band on a stage…I’d lose my marbles.
Remember Michael Phelps’ mom??? I wish I could find a better video…but look at her reaction here! **sigh**
How do you not have an effing heart attack while your kid is swimming for – oh I don’t know – his millionth gold medal? He wouldn’t be there without you. The sacrifices, the hours of practice, the time…..the LOVE.
So it’s almost time for Will to start t-ball or hockey or swimming or guitar. I’m gonna need to pack the Depends and carry a defribulator.
How do you not burst with pride?
my youngest almost scored a goal at soccer…i just about lost my head. i couldn’t imagine if she actually got it in! kids bring out your emotions in such intense “colours” it’s unbelievable!
I think that was my point – but I didn’t put it out there properly (note to self…do not blog while watching Bachelor Pad). I think the parental bursting is over absolutely everything….I had it this am while the kid was well behaved at the dentist. And maybe ‘uber successful’ was the wrong term – what I meant was if you happen to have a kid, grow up into the 1% or less of the population who is a high-performance athlete or performer….it must be mind blowing – that’s not saying it’s the only way your kid is considered successful.
Christine – I love the knock knocks…and Chantel…were your kids in an entire show of Les Mis or just the songs??? Holy crappers.
I cried at the christmas performance and the end of year at school play…so proud, but also so sad that Grandma is not here watching…cuz she would be crying even harder!
Remember the Knock Knock superstar?
BURSTING with pride.
Several years ago Cam’s hockey team made it to playoffs. He was the goalie. We were at the final game.
It went into over time with no score. I was beside myself. Wanted to leave but knew I couldn’t. Our team scored – won the championship. I cried (a little) – it was a release of tension and and a surge of pride. I won’t ever forget that feeling.
I can’t imagine it being that much different from a mom watching her son win the Stanley Cup. (okay maybe a little different. A bigger scale…but the core feeling would be the same)
It was the same feeling I had with Cuyler doing his stand up routine.
Oh, I cry like an idiot. Can’t help it. Stopped trying to help it. My poor kids are going to be so embarrassed about their mother weeping silently (and sniffing loudly) at the back of their awards ceremonies. But, dude. I can’t help it. The bursting with pride is uncontrollable. And I’m kinda grateful for that 🙂
My son and daughter are adults now and continue to make me proud – but so many amazing moments from the past still give me goosebumps: when my son’s team won the Metro Toronto Baseball Championships, took silver in the Ontario Provincial T-Ball Championships and won the Canadian National T-Ball Tournament; won an international hockey tournament in double overtime; when my daughter performed with concert bands at the United Nations, Carnegie Hall and in Europe, her graduation with a Masters Degree from UT at the top of her class. And it’s impossible not to be proud of any of your kid’s relatively mundane accomplishments – tying shoes, riding a bike, learning to swim, going to kindergarten and yes, potty training!!! These kinds of milestones usually always moved me to tears of pride (well the potty training also had tears of frustration – but she didn’t receive her MSc wearing Pull-ups, so really, what was the big deal???!!!) These are the highs that make being a parent so AWESOME – there’s nothing like the rush you get when these great things happen for your kids! And yeah, I think if they’d made it to the Olympics or won a Nobel Prize, I probably would have had a stroke!!!
As a mom of my own stars I have to admit it is hard not to shed a few tears! I just spent the last 3 nights watching three of my children perform in a musical production. My oldest daughter had a big solo but I have seen her perform many times but I was still bursting with pride. Then my almost 8 year old had a solo singing Castle on a Cloud and this was the first time I have seen her on a stage actually really singing and I have to tell you I cried – she was awesome. My son who is also in the show was so friggn cute I thought I would cry while watching him as well!
You don’t need to be a rock star or even close to consider yourself uber successful. Some kids never EVER poop on a toilet successfully so playing on stage .. sure, its good but its not the only thing in life that should label you successful.
Perspective.