My twelve-year-old had her spring chorus concert earlier this week. I still am shocked that she is in middle school already and couldn’t help but notice the size of all the kids. I thought my daughter had changed a lot recently but there were many kids who looked so much older and taller than she does.
The group put on a fantastic show, performing a mix of songs from a German composer, a song performed in Latin, a piece from Les Miserables, a few tunes by The Beatles, along with a trio of songs about a young sailor’s journey and “The Rainbow Connection” from the Muppet Movie.
After choosing a seat I thought was ideal, a huge man with a big bald head came and staked out the seat directly in front of me. I turned to my younger daughter and said, “You know what this means,” so we moved farther up and found decent seats near the stage.
During the performance I studied the kid’s faces and mannerisms. In them I saw myself and people I used to know in school. One boy who sang a solo during the sailor trio reminded me of a friend I had who died a few years after we graduated. The physical similarity was startling and brought a few tears to my eyes. In my daughter’s peers I could see all of us, young and old, hopeful and uncertain, confident and embarrassed. I guess despite all the changes and advances in today’s world, the process of growing into who you will become remains largely the same.
