My son's Christmas concert is tonite, in about an hr and a half. I am dreading it! They only sing 3 songs, then it is the older kids from his school (K-8) for the remainder of the hour. My hubby works late tonite so can't come with, so I will have to deal with my squirmy 18 month old during it. They are expected to stay for the entire performance. How terrible would it look if we didn't go? I'm 24 wks pg and have sciatica, but usually don't have a problem putting forth the effort for my kids.
Ok, so we went but I really wish that we hadn't. My 18 month old normally goes to sleep at 7 pm, so just as the program was starting he was melting down. My son, whose concert it was, didn't even realize what was going on. I had been telling him for the whole week about it, yet he didn't seem to care very much. I honestly don't think he would have even known he had missed anything if we had skipped it. I ended up taking the kids to the restroom and getting locked out of the auditorium for the remainder of the concert. I would have just left, but our stroller, diaper bag and coats were locked inside. Oy, what a nite. I ended up in tears, and I am NOT a crier. My hubby saw how distraught I was when he got home from work, gave me a big hug, and told me I need to learn when I am in over my head. I agree!
As for the babysitter, I would have gotten one, but last nite she had a final exam and couldn't help us out. And, I only have 1 sister in the area, and she's got kids of her own to care for and is busy running a family biz. I guess I learned my lesson!
You should go. I just sat through one last night with my squirmy 2 year old, but I can't imagine how disappointed my 4 year old son would have been if I hadn't shown up. A LOT of parenting is doing stuff we'd rather not.
I would not go. However as common politeness I would give them a heads up so they are not waiting for you to show up.
Painfully arduous...yes they are...but you will probably beat yourself up for the next 10 years if you don't attend.
I recommend you grab a seat in the back, and use the squirmy baby as an excuse to make a break for it between songs. People will appreciate your "consideration in removing your youngest child as a distraction"....and your preschooler will be crazy proud to hang out on stage waving at you and picking his nose, while forgetting the words to songs they have all been practicing since August ;).
I know that the idea is for everyone to stay and watch the K-8...but seriously? What are they gonna do if you get up to leave after your son is done singing? I would go and then when your son is done, leave. Most people will understand since you have an 18 month old...and if they don't...WHO CARES?
L.
Can you have someone attend with you? Or babysit your 18 month old?
It will be very sad, for your son, if he is the ONLY child there, with no parent.... attending.
you can go watch ur son then get up and go outside and wait 4 it to end. i dread watching the whole thing...i love my kids but man is it boring sometimes. but i go
How bad will it be if you do not go? Well, that depends, how disappointed with your son be?
Go for your son's part, then do what you need to do. The only thing that matters is that your son sees you there.
I didn't look at the answers, but I don't think you should worry about it. Just let the teacher or person know in case he is singing a solo and performing another song at the Lyric Opera house later. He will forgive you I'm sure. Have him sing at home. There was a time my son was sick but insisted on being at his Christmas show, I think he was in fourth grade. ok, so we did that, but this is preschool. You shouldn't worry about how terrible it looks if you don't go. You are pregnant, have sciatica and a squirmy eighteen month old. You have my permission to stay home and not feel guilty.
My daughter is 17 and I would love to back to see school performances, dance recitals and ice skating competitions!! Love 'em, but I'm mushy that way. It's only an hour and will be respectful to all the students to stay. As a side note, my parents didn't go to my performances when I was in school and it hurt my feelings. Have fun!!
This is probably too late, but I wish I had skipped my sons. He sang in church that morning and then we went to a family party with santa that afternoon. By the time we were to go to the preschool show, I was dreading it. The kids were tired, and I was thinking it's not worth it. I pushed on, not wanting him to miss it. The first act was OK, but my 2 year old rushed the stage screaming 'I want to sing toooo!' She had to be removed until her tantrum subsided. For the last act (after all the grade schoolers went) DS went back up and grabbed the mic. He was talking about gasses and solids and would not give up the mic without a scene. It was nuts! You can't really predict what will happen, but you're instincts are usually right. My husband was there, which, made the whole thing worse and that is one night we will never forget. If you went, I hope it went better for you! If not, well maybe it's for the best:)
Yes - go to the school performance and be prepared to leave early because your 18 month old will have a shorter attention span. It is special for your son to have one of his parents watching his show. For the future, see if you can get babysitter when you have a school program to attend.
I recommend you look for prenatal yoga for your sciatica. This is a common issue. You are welcome to email me separately on this topic.
C. L
prenatal yoga teacher
Don't sit right in the front. Simply take your child and baby when he is done and scoot away. I understand it is "rude" but you need to take care of you and being pregnant, alone with 2 preschoolers is the perfect excuse.
My M. NEVER came to my shows. It hurt my feelings. She took off work to see my brother's and that REALLY hurt my feelings. Even when she was off and could have gone, she didn't come to my things.
Honestly, I would stay for the three songs and find a way to sneak out :) You have the 18 mos. and your pregnancy on your side!
I know this is way after-the-fact, but my son's Christmas pageant was last night as well. Granted, he's in second grade, but I remember those preschool days...
Something you might want to work with the school on is having them change the way they do their Christmas programs. My son's school has a totally separate pageant for the preschool and PreK kids because of exactly what you described. There is absolutely no need to make 3 & 4 years olds (plus their parents and younger siblings) sit through such a long program when they are not involved!! That way, the little kids get their moment in the spotlight, get to be cute, get to be kids, yadda yadda without jeopardizing naptimes, bedtimes, etc. I'll bet there are lots more families out there with the same concerns that you had that would be willing to join your effort. They just need someone to champion the cause!
Good luck in the future...remember, you'll have to do this all over again next Christmas, except with 2 little ones to watch while your preschooler is up on stage. Hopefully, by then you and some other parents will be able to show the school the err of their ways of having a fully mixed group!
I know this is probably after the fact, but I will answer anyway....
I have 4 children, and I am currently pregnant with #5. My 1st grader recently had his musical, and, as much as I dreaded sitting there with my 17 month old, I sucked it up, prepared as well as I could for the performance, and we went. I put my daughter in an umbrella stroller, and made sure she had snacks, drink, etc... stuff to occupy her during the performance. My son would have been DEVASTATED if we had not gone to the performance, as it was something they had been working on for a while. I really hope you did go, for your son's sake, and if you had to leave early with your toddler, I'm sure they would have understood. I know Preschool age is still young, but these little ones remember way more than we would think they would. You would feel terrible if a few months down the line, he mentions something about not going. Let him have his moment :)
Being pregnant & having a squirmy toddler to care for isn't the reason not to go for your sons sake.Let him sing his songs then make an exit if you have to
i love these things. so i guess i would pull myself to go. i love to scrapbook and enjoy the fun of the moments of these things with the kids. but totally understand your situation. i would go for his part and then leave. nothing wrong with that.
