When Parent Mode Kicks In

So Number 2 has started her 4th tour with The Young Americans that will be traveling through the Midwest with several stops in our home state and because of that, a couple home stays as well. Kori and I had been looking forward to having her home and meeting some of her friends she has been touring with. As I have spoke of before, her lack of communication with her parents while on tour is par for the course and this tour is no exception. In fact one of her tour mates shamed her into calling us to check in a few days before her visit. Other than that quick call, radio silence from Number 2 until the night of her arrival.

At around 9:00pm, while I was driving to pick her and her friends up, I received a text from her saying there would be a meeting at 9:30 in the school gym. At 9:15, while I was still driving, I got another text stating the meeting had ended and they could be picked up now. Well I got there around 9:30 and picked them up just fine and there were no problems. Still through it all, our daughter and her lack of communication was consistent.

The homestay kids and directors were awesome. We enjoyed every minute of their stay at our home and got another glimpse of what it is like to be a Young American. Along with Number 2 we had 4 other YAs and directors stay with us and they were polite, easy to talk to, respectful and just fun to be around. We fed them, gave them a safe place to relax, do laundry, sleep and decompress after their full rehearsal days.

The final day of their stay also included a show with the kids they had been teaching all week. As host families, we were given free tickets to the show, which my wife and I had been looking forward to. We had left early enough to make sure we were there in plenty of time to find our seats and get ready for a great show. About 10 minutes into our journey to the show, we got a phone call from Number 2 stating that someone had lost part of their costume and she needed black jeans and could we help. Of course my wife and I went into parent mode and took the responsibility on without a second thought. We did a quick detour to the mall, stopped in the first store I found and bought the size that was needed and we were on our way.

We got to the show during the opening number and things worked out just fine. Crisis averted and everyone was happy. The show was amazing as usual and we got to see our daughter living out her dream and making the most of it. A highlight for me is when she came and sat down next to me during one of the songs as we sang together and she thanked us both again before running back onstage.

The next morning was their day to depart for the next tour stop. They had already left with my wife and were already at the school when Number 2 realized she had forgotten something she needed at the house so once again, parent mode was activated. My wife called me because she knew I was at the house. We made a plan to meet on an on-ramp to the highway. She was coming from one direction and I from the other. The hand off was seamless(well as seamless as an expressway handoff can be) and Kori was able to drop it back off to Number 2 with little or no delay in their departure.

I think the moral to this story is that is doesn’t matter how old your child is; when they are needed, parent mode kicks in. A lack of communication isn’t held against them. The discussions about being more organized can wait for another day. The natural consequence of someone forgetting something doesn’t become the most important topic. Parents do what parents do, support their kids. I would do it again and again for those 10 seconds sitting next to my beautiful, talented daughter singing a song and hearing her say “Thanks I love you guys!”