My Real Life

So, you know how sometimes you just know something is going to be a disaster, but there is that little piece of yourself that says, “It just might be okay…It might!” and then you go ahead and do it and it turns out to be a disaster and you want to kick yourself because you knew all along that it would be?

I had one of those nights.

Tonight was Baby Monkey’s “Celebration” at nursery school.  Basically, their winter concert.

You may remember that at his last Celebration, he just sat and smiled at me.

Somehow, I knew that wasn’t going to happen tonight.  I could feel it in the air.  I even told his teacher that I wasn’t sure I was going to bring him.  He doesn’t really enjoy these things, and I’m not even sure why I ever take him.  I guess for the whole experience of doing it with his class.

Anyway, he was really in a great mood during dinner and seemed to have a good day at school, so I thought, “What the heck?”

May I share with you some photo evidence of his “performance?”

It started out just fine.  He and I sat together in a pew and waited for him to be called.  (Real Man was at Monkey in the Middle’s basketball practice with Monkey Girl.)

Then, he was called up and the singing began.

For everyone else.

For Baby Monkey, however, there was this:

And then he started with the tongue…

And then…they gave them flashlights.

So, I wrestled with myself.

“He’s three,” I told myself.

“Yes, but so were most of the other kids on the stage who were sitting and singing nicely,” I told myself.

“You knew he wouldn’t do what he was supposed to do, but you brought him anyway,” I told myself.

“Yes, but he should participate,” I told myself.

At the end of the day, it is what it is…or I guess I should say it was what it was, and now it’s over and tomorrow is another day.

But next time…I’m going with my gut.  It has never steered me wrong.