Why I Can’t Totally Grow Up Just Yet

I understand that some would rather slam their finger in a car door than do what I did two nights ago. I took my son to see Big Time Rush, a boy band who have a show on Nickelodeon. It’s good, wholesome, highly produced, tweeners pop music.

It may shock you but:

• I watch the show often with my ten year old
• I actually like it (the guys are funny, extremely talented and the songs are catchy)
• Sometimes, I watch it when he’s not around (did you hear that? That was the sound of me dropping my pride)

Even though we were soaked to the bone in the unrelenting rain and we couldn’t scream as loud as the ear piercing squeals of several thousand preteen girls, for a solid hour and a half we jumped up and down to the rhythm of the kick drum, waved our hands over our heads in unison with everyone in the outdoor amphitheater, and sang along with every BTR song at the top of our lungs.

The unexpected

As the night went on I began to develop a commradery with the other parents around me. Enjoying themselves just as I was, when I would catch another parent looking at me, we would both smile and just keep singing along.

Out of the blue, the mom in directly in front of me turned around and shared with me that her 5 yr. old daughter just informed that she (the mom) should not scream at Big Time Rush because, “Mom, they’re teenagers. They’re too young for you.” We both had a good laugh.

When she put her petite little girl on her shoulders, blocking my view for the last 5 songs, I understood. She wanted to give her daughter a good time… to have a great view that someone her size doesn’t normally have.

We’ve all been there to some extent. We want the best for our kids. We’ll suffer back pain for days just so they can have a life long memory of the 20 amazing minutes they spent on their parents shoulders, watching their favorite superstars perform.

My “big time rush” moment

But that night I discovered that my new found parenthood friends and I were acting like we’re were eleven for more than our kids sake. We were also doing it for ourselves. As we wallowed in the teeny-bop arena of the carefree, we were able to forget the pressure, the stress and the heaviness that rests on our shoulders everyday of adulthood. We were abandoning our cares to celebrate life and our families.

And…

several times durning the night I found my son looking up at me, grinning as wide as the stage. As we jumped up and down together in our soggy shoes, I realized I didn’t ever want to miss out on moments like these… not for my sake as well as my kids.

2nd “big time rush” moment

Driving home in the peaceful silence of the car, my son overcome by exhaustion, I committed to myself that I wouldn’t grow up all the way just yet. I’ll just grow up as my kids do… maybe.

As the Big Time Rush theme song goes, “It’s the only life ya got, So ya gotta live it big time.”