Our fearless show bug!

We are excited to share our proudest parenting moment so far. It happened around noon today at the Pacific Northern Academy. But first, let's bring you up to speed.

Last Friday, Thomas and I received an email from Kyra’s music teacher announcing the scheduled performers for a Brown Bag Concert series every day the following week from 12pm-12:30pm. I noticed that four of her classmates were performing: taekwondo, piano, and violin. As we brushed our teeth that night, I remember telling Thomas that I was a terrible parent. First, I was clueless about whether there was a sign-up sheet or how students were selected to be part of the show. Second, I had started to teach Kyra piano in November fairly informally on the weekends. Mostly, we would get into fights because she insisted on figuring out the notes on her own. Third, having hated performing as a child, I couldn’t believe that I felt Kyra was missing out on something.

Thomas said, “Well, I didn’t know about the concert series either. Besides, I would never perform if I didn’t have to.”

“Me too! So why am I even upset that Kyra isn’t performing?”

He laughed. “Is she even ready?”

"I don't think so,” I said. “We’ve been kinda goofing off with the whole piano thing. I wanted to make it a fun thing. So we haven’t really had consistent lessons.”

“Well, there you go. Why make things stressful?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I said, twisting floss tighter around my finger. “But, I can’t help feeling like I could’ve done better. You know with her piano lessons or preparing for the concert. I’m worried that she’ll miss out on an experience.”

Unwinding the floss, I continued, “But then, I always hated my mother for making me perform. All the stomach aches, stage fright, obsessing about the mistakes I made in front of the whole world! No, it’s better this way. I’m happy that she doesn’t have to suffer through all that and I’m relieved that I don’t have to stress about her performing next week.”

Thomas just shook his head, “You are so confusing!”

"Conflicted! Welcome to my world."

When I picked Kyra up from school yesterday, she grabbed my hand and pulled me down onto the carpet in her classroom. Pouting, she asked, “Mommee, how come Emily got to play the piano and I don’t?”

“I don’t know. Do you want to ask your teacher?”

“Okay!” She leaped up and pranced off to her teacher’s side. I helped her get the words out and nearly shriveled when I heard the teacher say, “Oh, there was this big sign-up sheet in the front of the school. You didn’t see it?”

Before I could apologize, the teacher said, “You know what? Robert decided not to doTaekwondo tomorrow, so if you want, you can have his slot. Or even better, you can always play the piano during show and tell.”

Kyra drifted off while the teacher and I explored various options. So when I put Kyra’s jacket on and asked her what she wanted to do, I was surprised to hear her say, “Play tomorrow.”

“Really? What are you going to play?”

“Old MacDonald Had a Farm!”

“Uh…okay. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

"I want to,” she said without any hesitation and then chased after her brother.

That night, she asked me to role play as her music teacher and announce her number. Thomas and Ethan to sit down and be her audience. On her first run through the song, I heard a few mistakes and tried to play along, but she snapped at me, “No, Mommee. Don’t touch the piano.”

She ordered, “Mommee. You sing. First Cow, then Pig, and Horse. Okay. Daddee. You sing.”

We tried. But after a few attempts, she said, “I play by myself. Like Emily.” And that was that. She ate her strawberries and said she was going to bed, “I’m ready. I’m good.”

Thomas and I looked at each other with apprehension. She had a tendency to start the song, stop, turn to her audience and say, “I made a mistake.”

In the morning, she practiced the song one more time repeating it three times. I told her she only had to play it once at the concert, but she insisted, “No, I like three.”

She posed for some goofy photos.

Then, my baby girl was off to school and I didn’t see her until the show. She lounged in her teacher’s lap, cool as a cat. No fear. Not even in need of any hugs from Mom or Dad.

When the music teacher announced her surprise performance, she ran up to the piano and climbed onto the bench. She looked so tiny against the old upright piano.

Calmly, she adjusted the bench. Then with legs swinging back and forth, she played the song better than she ever practiced it. I think I soaked up all her nervous energy, because the girl was a natural. A superstar!

She played it through once and paused to check out her audience. Then repeated the song two more times. The music teacher winked at me because we had talked right before the show and after hearing Kyra’s attitude the night before, she told me I was in trouble. She said she was exactly like Kyra when she was little.

Kyra finished off her performance with a flamboyant bow to the cheers and applause from her entire school. I watched Thomas’ face and saw him beaming so proudly at his daughter. I bet I was even more transparent.

We still can’t believe the nerve of this girl. Who did she inherit this character from? It’s not us. Maybe her great grandmother Mabel Pei-Fen Chow? Maybe Grandpa Sung Duk Oh? Anybody want to claim credit? Ethan says he will.