Is it over yet?

Have you taken your child to a live theatre performance, to a concert, or maybe just played a CD at your home that is something a teenager would not normally listen to? If not, I would encourage you to do so. You will be truly thankful that you did.

Many years ago Little Women was at the Children’s Theatre in Minneapolis and I took my three children. I didn’t know if they would enjoy it or not but thought it was timen to give them a taste of some culture. As the first act ended and the curtain came down, the youngest one said “is it over Mom?” I thought uh oh, this is going to be a long performance if she’s tired of it already. But no, she said “I don’t want it to be over.” What a thrill that was for me to hear. Knowing that they enjoyed that performance, we tried over the years to take them to various plays and concerts.

One of the concerts we attended was Michael Crawford. I didn’t realize how much one of my daughters loved that music until a large group of her friends were in our downstairs family room studying… they were listening to Michael Crawford, Les Miserables, and Phantom of the Opera. I was quite shocked to hear that msuic as there were a few jocks in the group but apparently they were enjoying it or didn’t dare to tangle with the girls. OK, it’s not real classical music, but close enough for me.

If you haven’t done so, I encourage you to take your children to a cultural event. It doesn’t have to be a high buck production; there are many wonderful performances in our schools, churches and community theatres. Maybe you’ll be fortunate enough to hear those words “I don’t want it to be over” too.