Mommy Moments

One of the nicest things about being a Mom is watching my kids perform. My daughter is a dancer and my son a musician. My son doesn't perform any more so now I watch the schools he teaches at knowing that he's arranged the music. It's not as exciting but it still makes me proud.

My daughter is a talented dancer and a member of the dance team at her school. One weekend I had to drive for an hour and a half to watch her compete with the team. I didn't leave as early as I wanted because her boyfriend was coming from work, and of course there was a problem. As I was careening down the highway my rear tire blew. It blew with so much force I could see plastic and bits of tire flying out behind the car. Luckily, the road wasn't so crowded and I was able to get over right away. Some women don't know how to change a tire but I made sure I did. Who would want to wait for road service when time was so critical? I pulled everything out of the trunk and handed it to the boyfriend. The first time the jack was placed under the car and we tried to jack it up, it went through a rust spot. Finally it worked and we were able to change it without anymore issues. Unfortunately the spare tire was low and we had to stop again to put air in it. When we pulled up to the air compressor, we saw that it took quarters. By this time my patience and composure was dissapating and I was ready to scream. By the time we pulled back on to the freeway, it was getting late. I drove as fast as I could legally and comfortably. My insides were still shaking from the stress. After parking the car we ran into the convention center and paid for our tickets.

My daughter walked out of the dressing room without her costume and she was crying. We had missed the performance. Tears welled up in my eyes despite my efforts to be strong. Soon we were both crying. Fortunately, we could still watch the results of the competition. She took her place on the floor and her boyfriend and I sat with the other parents. It was a bittersweet moment when the team won first place. I was sad that I had missed their performance. Still, I had photos of the champions and was very proud of my daughter because I know how hard she works. It wasn't the best Mommy Moment, but it is still one I will treasure.