Another full day at my sister and brother-in-law’s house.

I slept in, 9am, hold yourself back! MG was at her first swim lesson, yesterday was EJ’s lesson. Then it was a mad dash to put a picnic together and out the door. The picnic was at Camp Grossman, to celebrate the end of Mayim, the K-5 grade Sunday school class at the family’s synagogue. There was singing, thanking, playing (daddy pushing my sister and I on the swings, how long had it been? Dad said about 35 years! lots of laughing!) fellowship, cookie decorating,
and food, what could be better?

Then home for a bit of rest, what’s that? Then it was time to go to EJ’s dance recital! The KM Dance Center presented their 28th annual show, this year was Aladdin. As you may have guessed, the show was themed around the Disney musical Aladdin, there were dance numbers in Arabian themed costumes and in between numbers they would act out scenes from the movie.

EJ was part of the group that danced in the middle, the number was called Loopty Loo and had nothing to do with the theme of the show, just really cute costumes, ala Jasmine, coins that jingled, blue eyeshadow and red lips you can see from the back of the theater, and ballet slippers.

She was right on point (pun intended? You decide!), she was great and had her cartwheel down pat, turned and twirled with the best of them, ok, I’m a little proud! They were so cute!

After the show, on the way to dinner, I asked if she was going to do this again, “No I already did it.” Fair enough.

So, that means we do not have to do this again, unless MG decides she wants to do it, thank goodness! This does not mean there will not be another recital, just not another dance recital. I’ve been lucky enough to be at a swim lesson, soccer game, gymnastics exhibition (she was terrific at her birthday party last year) and her dance party this year, I haven’t seen her ski yet, but I will! She and her sister have not lacked in any experience, my sister and brother-in-law has given them every opportunity to try new things and find what they love to do.

This is where I need to give my parents and all parents a great big THANK YOU for sitting through our dance, piano, whatever recitals, shows and exhibitions! Parents put up with so much for their kids, sitting thorough number after number after number of dance, cheers, meets, everything just to see their kids perform for five minutes.

I had my first dance recital, tap from Ms Rosemary’s, when I was four and I am sure my parents suffered through it, before and after my number. Although, I don’t know if it was as stifling hot as it was in the auditorium today!

I don’t think I really appreciated what my parents did until I had to sit through my first cheerleading camp exhibition for my daughter, 2,000, ok, it was just 30, but it felt like 2,000 squads doing the exact same cheer, oh my word! Then today, I was doing it for my niece, watching my sister and brother-in-law experience it for the first time, sitting next to my dad, who was old hat at this.

They drive us to rehearsal, sit there or maybe go home and pick us up later, listen to the songs over and over, the crying when we don’t want to go or we’re too tired, buy our costumes, do our makeup, do our hair, buy us flowers and sit in the auditorium and wait and wait and wait until its our turn and then have to sit there and wait to watch every other group perform because we want to watch our friends shine for their parents.

To the kids, I say, “Thank you” for giving us the opportunity to watch you grow and shine and brag about you and all you accomplish and to know we supported and loved you with all that we are and would never change a thing.

For all the parents who sit there hour after hour, cheer and encourage, on behalf of all the kids out there on stage, I say “Thank you”, you’ll never know how much we appreciate you. And please know, we’ll never understand what you go through for us until it is our turn to be in the crowd cheering our own kids on.