Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Stage Fright

Brady P. had his first Christmas pageant last night!

It was all pretty new and exciting as he has't yet performed in a Christmas, Thanksgiving or Memorial Day Program.  This was his first performance in front of half the town.

He had no idea what was coming.

We went to the school house early to get him in his elf costume.  


Cute as a button, he was!  I was pleased with how eager he was to put it all on.  No struggles.  Whew!

He ran out into the performance area with the other kids before the show began.  Everything seemed pretty normal to him.

Then, just 10 minutes before the show, all the kids went into the "preschool room" to wait for their grand entrance.

Unbeknownst to Brady P, the room filled up with townsfolk while they were in there. 

The lights dimmed as I sat in my front row seat.  When I heard the first jingle of bells prancing out, I started my video rolling.  Out came the first elf, then the second, then... a jingle of bells plopped down by my feet and pouted, "Noooo!"

Braeden parked his green and red velvet tushy on the floor and was not going to budge.  

Alrighty then, I thought.  Into the preschool room we go.

I thought I'd be able to convince him to go back out.

"Your friends are out there!" I said.  And I told him the names of some of his favorite people in town.

"No!" he retorted.  "It's too scary."

"All the people are too much for you?" I asked.

"Yes," he said and grabbed a fistful of my hair for comfort.

I immediately thought back to my first Christmas program.  I was in preschool.  The moment I saw how many people were in the audience, I bawled, and refused to go on the stage.

So I had compassion for the little man.  

I told him my story and held him in my arms.  We changed him out of his elf suit, so he didn't feel like such a spectacle.

By the time the show was over, chairs were moved, people stood up and the lights were bright.  Brady P. was happy to enter the masses in that setting.

Then, all the sudden, we heard a "Ho ho ho!"  Santa came!

All the kids rushed out, and gathered around.  Braeden was the first (and maybe only) kid to give him a big hug.  All the people said, "Awwww," and I don't blame them!  I teared up!

So the rest of the night went well.  And we made it through the debut performance.  I think it's a right of passage to run off with stage fright your first time out there.  Brady P. is apparently no exception.

Next time he'll know what to expect!

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