Back to the talent day. There I was as any other excited mother, bright and early ready to cheer on my daughter as she recites a poem she has practiced for several nights.
Before the event started, there was the usual registration and settling down of parents. And when it started, there were several performances before it was finally Tasha’s turn to hit the stage.
My heart melted when she confidently walked to the stage. Before she started her performance, her eyes started searching in the crowd for that familiar, loving and assuring face — mummy’s.
I stood up so that she could spot me. When she was done, the parents gave her a standing ovation. That was a moment every mother would have been proud of.
After Tasha’s performance, next was Brandon’s turn. Brandon’s mother is my friend and she is notorious for missing such events. She always asks me why I attend such events so religiously yet there is nothing to gain. She always says she is too busy with projects, chamas, assignments and other things that she has no time for such. Now Brandon walked to the stage timidly, looking for any familiar face. Perhaps the mother, but he could not spot her.
Before he could gain his composure for the first few minutes, he fidgeted on the stage and appeared to have forgotten his lines.
To encourage him, I stood up. Other parents joined in. That seemed to have reenergised him, as he regained confidence and memorised his lines, though he forgot a few. When he was done, the boy ran away in fear. I wished the mother were there to see the look of disappointment on his son’s face.
What I have learnt is that attending a child’s school event may look like a waste of time for a busy career woman, but it is priceless to the child.
