I would never make a good stage mom

You know how at the Olympics or some other big sporting events there is occasionally a mother who refuses to watch her progeny? The mom who just can't deal with the stress, would rather pace, praying and sweating, outside the stadium than sit inside and have a nervous breakdown? That's how I feel today.

It's a long story. Here it is in brief because 1) I have to go to work soon and B) I really do need to go to work soon.

So my youngest child, Tessa, was born with a musical gift. She did NOT get that from her mother. She most definitely got it from her father, who has an amazing ear for music. Actually, Angela has a musical gift too, but it's not for singing, it's for languages. That girl can hear the lilt and rhythm of a language and mimic it perfectly.

So Tessa's first solo vocal performance that I can remember was at the age of 4 when in a Christmas pageant she sang "Away in a Manager" solo because her duet partner got sick at the last minute. It was perfect and on pitch and beautiful. From that time on she starred in many a role in church and school productions, dreaming of making it big in the music industry.

In 5th grade she won a singing contest and was asked to perform the piece at an award dinner. Long story short, for the first time in her life she froze, got confused, and burst into tears. Since then she's sung in public off and on, but usually not solo.

Fast forward to this weekend, where she is scheduled to sing a solo as a small part of a big production in the giganto arena at the State's University. Why not just dive in? Who needs to start small. She has invited grandparents, aunty, sister and brother-in-law to watch. Rehearsals have been going very well, she's once again day dreaming about a singing career. Until yesterday.

They had a bad rehearsal, her solo sucked, and now she's freaking out. And I'm considering faking a sudden illness so I can just spend the performance on my knees somewhere, begging the God of the Universe to have mercy and give her what she needs to get through it and do well, and reestablish the love of singing that He gave her from such an early age. Lord God, let her forget herself and get lost in the joy that is singing, filled up and overflowing with the knowledge that you give good gifts, and that her gift of music is wrapped with peace and confidence and sheer, unadulterated FUN.

And God, while you're at it...help me not to throw up.