Today, my oldest child makes her acting debut. I have all kinds of emotions coursing through my head. Of course, I’m playing the role of proud mama. I’ve taken off work so I can attend both performances. But I’m also nervous Nelly. Will she remember her cues? Will she remember take advantage of her time off stage to glance at her script? God, I hope she doesn’t fall off-stage.

This child of mine is a natural performer, incredibly outgoing and one of the friendliest people I have ever met… so basically, the exact opposite of me at her age. I marvel at her intelligence, her own confidence, and her soft-heartedness. but I also worry about her for those very same reasons.

Will she try to dumb herself down to fit in with her friends? Will others be jealous of her natural gifts and try to cut her down? Will they try to take advantage of her? Hurt her feelings? She’s so tiny, what if someone tries to hurt my baby? (She’s a blue belt in karate and I will fight a kid, if necessary. Hell, half these kids are bigger than me anyway.)

I digress. Today, she takes the stage in front of the whole school, and i’m Freaking out. I’m anxious. She’s excited. I’m praying. She’s practicing. And I think just maybe, the two of us might survive this experience.

Break a leg, baby girl. (Please, not literally!)
Mama Radford