It is A DAY to remember.
It is the Talent Show day at M’s school. He signed up for the talent show about a month ago, went through auditions and was selected as one of the 13 performers who will showcase their talent in front of entire school today.
As the parent for the middle-schooler, we simply need to adjust our own expectation on how our kids greet us on campus. You don’t expect seeing huge smiles nor hugs with excitement nor a loud delighted “Mom~~” You are mostly invisible to them. A nod, fist bump or a subtle smile is worth celebration.
Well, don’t take it personal. It’s merely about learning their own way into adulthood and integrating into the society. At least this is what I told myself when dealing with the awkwardness.
I was so pleased when Mason invited me to be there since this is not an open-to-family event.
Yet when I walked into school, I found myself still calibrating the distance he’d like to keep with me at this occasion:
Will I make him happy or embarrassed by doing this? Should I sit in the front row, where the teachers said reserved for parents & performers but I seem to be the only parent there, or at the unnoticed corner? Should I shout out when he performs or just cheer inside my heart?
My head was spinning to ensure I don’t embarrass my middle-schooler. At last, I was relieved to receive the big smile on his face when he saw me. He is happy to see me.
Sitting there for 40 minutes, I went through an emotional ride.
When half of the school crowd gradually moved into the commons, M was constantly greeting or being greeted by various friends and across different grades. One of boys greeted him with firm hand gesture saying “Mason, let’s do this!” in a warm and affirmative tone. Watching the dynamics in the room, it made me realize again how incredible M is to navigate all these on his own. Sometimes I forgot how much he needs to deal with at the school. It’s not just understanding what the teachers say in class, not just catching up with the homework and sorting out the schedule. It is about how he navigates his way through the dramatic changes, cultural shocks, and language barrier with confidence and persistence. Somehow he managed to find belonging and fun along the way!
My eyes were already wet before he even hit the stage.
Standing on that stage takes tremendous courage and it speaks loudly how far he has come in this school year. Seeing him on stage with hundreds of audience watching, I said in my mind “ Man~ Where the h*** does that daring courage come from??!”
His diabolo performance turned out excellent. The song he picked and the hair band he wore are associated with the indigenous culture in Taiwan. What I amazed most is how much ease he dealt with the mistakes on stage. He nailed with a perfect ending right on the last beat of the song.
I am simply humbled today by witnessing such a brave loving soul being embraced, being accepted without hiding who he truly is, being proud of his own uniqueness, and happily honoring his own heritage.
The best part (for mom)
After the performance, M walked out from backstage straight towards me with a big hug, all smiling with no hesitation in front of the crowd. I was surprised he gave up his distance at the school but also very much melted by the gesture. Funny enough, there is a split second I even worried for him how his friends would look at this. Well, I happily returned to my warm-hearted moment after that split second and whispered into his ear “ I’m soooo proud of you!”