Winter Sing

Yesterday was the elementary school's "Winter Sing". Remember this from first grade? Maybe it was called something different - Christmas program, December-fest. It's the annual winter holiday themed, elementary singing program. When I was in school, it was mostly Christmas songs, although our school was at least 50% Jewish (school was empty on Jewish holidays), now there's "Dreidel Dreidel", "Kwanzaa's Coming", and "Feliz Navidad". New this year is the art teacher in the jester hat warming up the crowd with winter jokes.

With 4 children, I think I've been to at least 10 of these, this is the second this year (because it would be too easy to have them all in the same school). This does not count the fall-sing in October, the Brotherhood Assembly in February, the Clap-out in June, and the separate band programs. It doesn't matter that I went last year or that I know all the songs and hand-dances that go with them. Number one job of a parent, or at least one of the top 10, is being there for your kid.

We know that means being there for the big stuff - graduation, weddings, Grammy nominations, and SuperBowl wins. But when we held that little bitty, cute, powder-fresh baby, we didn't think about all the school programs in between. Every time, every program, the room is full of students and parents. And every time, I see my child's eyes scanning the crowd looking for me. When they finally spot me, all the sudden there's a smile and what they think is a subtle wave. If their classmate's parent couldn't make it, they'll adopt me as their parent for the day and wave, too.

Admittedly, these programs are generally not at the most convenient time, thought I don't even know what time that would be. They are either in the middle of the day, well, because that's when kids are in school. Or they are in the evening, at dinner time, at prime time for Christmas shopping. We can easily think of a dozen other things we need to get done instead of sitting for an hour, waiting for our kid to sing their one song. But then you think of them scanning the crowd and never finding you. And even if there's some place you'd rather be, for that hour, there's no where more important.

With credit to the art teacher...

What do you call an old snowman? Water!
What does a snowman eat for breakfast? frosted flakes!