This is rant. Run away if you’d like to.
Background info: There is a midweek (Tuesday as a matter of fact. imagine that) program at my church which includes choir for kids. I’ve been helping with choir since Spawn was first eligible- 1st grade. As she is now in 10th grade, that makes this my 10th year. Every spring we do a musical. Traditionally this musical is for 1st through 8th grade and a lot of the years I’ve been involved it’s been quite a production. Acting, singing (of course), costumes, sets. Just a big deal. And the middle school kids basically carried the show with the extra stuff and the solos and what have you.
I’ve heard a speech every year around this time from our choir director, designed to encourage cooperation from the younger kids. The speech goes something like this “your behavior now is your audition for roles in the musical”. Or something like that. I recognize this speech as utter bullshit. I have from the beginning because I’ve watched the kids who don’t behave get special treatment. Frankly, it has pissed me off on more than one occasion.
It has made me livid on two occasions.
The first was when Spawn was in 8th grade. That girl gave me plenty of trouble through the years, but she was always cooperative in choir. I was with her in choir for 1st through 5th grade and heard for the other 3 years that this stayed true. She has a wonderful singing voice. She was excited for her 8th grade year and so was I. Because her 8 years of “auditioning” meant that she should have had a good part in the musical- if not a lead. That year our minister was leaving and instead of a regular musical, we did a retrospective of songs from musicals over the years. My daughter had a solo. That’s it. It took me some time to get over that, I can tell you. It was fine in the end. Awesome kid that she is, no one would guess she had any disappointment at all.
I heard the speech again today. I was not actually in the room at the time he said it. Which is probably a good thing. Because LLO is in 6th grade and therefore paid her 5 years of dues to have a role in the musical. (While she wasn’t always cooperative in choir, that doesn’t matter really, apparently.) Well. This year, the middle schoolers aren’t in the musical at all. The end. They are doing something else entirely.
Of course I will get over it. But today I can’t help feeling like both of my kids got screwed.
And now I’m going to watch some more Dr. Who and continue knitting my scarf. (And try not to freeze solid.)