Tonight was our big end of the year dance performance for both my girls.  It was our first dance recital and, wow, it was quite a production.  The Mason Dance Center really did a great job.  The theme was Legends of Music and they had a great mix of dance numbers from slower beautiful ballet numbers and upbeat hip-hop groups to toe-tapping rhythmic beats.  The girls ranged in age from four years to seniors in high-school.   The costumes were beautiful and all the dancers did a wonderful job.  It was really well run and I was amazed at how many dancers there actually were.  The recital was sold out and the theater was filled with proud parents, happy grandparents and the occasional crying younger sibling.  I even saw my friend’s three year old daughter, Savannah, getting her groove on in the aisle – she should have been on that stage.

 

Even though my girls’ performances were terrific – they were smiling, held their heads up high,  and really did their best performances to date - the aftermath was not so pretty.  After the big finale all the girls got to take a bow on the big stage and then they got to meet their adoring fans in the lobby (aka Mom, Dad and the Grandparents).  There we all were, beaming with pride, doling out the compliments and trying to snap some pictures. My four year old, was all smiles and was doing her best ballet poses but I should have known we were in for it, when my oldest refused to get her picture taken.  After noticing that some of her dance buddies were getting bouquets of flowers she logically asked, “Where are my flowers” and when I told her that we didn’t have any, the floodgates were opened and it was all downhill.  I felt like the worst Mommy.  I did not buy the darn bouquet of flowers. Yes, they had advanced orders but truthfully I was too cheap to get them (remember I’d have to buy two and after paying for the lessons, the shoes, the costumes, the dance recital fee and the extra recital tickets I was just plain tapped out).  I figured I’d just purchase them on my own, but I didn’t plan well enough ahead of time like the other “nice Mommies” did. 

 

Kaitlin could not be consoled and she ran screaming down the hallway lamenting, “no flowers, I didn’t get any flowers”……Oh My!  We were going to take the girls out for dinner with the grandparents but that was nixed since we were now in full-blown meltdown mode.  Kaitlin could not be consoled no matter what I said.  What’s a mother to do?  I felt terrible about the flowers but I really couldn’t reward her non-stop tantrum with dinner out not to mention I don’t think the other patrons would have appreciated my screaming entourage.  So, we headed home.  My visions of enjoying a nice dinner with family and joyfully replaying the girls’ cute dance moments were replaced by a distraught daughter, frustrated parents and a disappointed sister (the young one could have cared less about the lack of flowers but she did want the dinner out, poor baby).   Parenting can be tricky, what would you have done if the tap shoe was on the other foot?   For me, I’m all tapped out right now – tomorrow we can start fresh and hope for a better day!