MOXIE MOM on Life & Kids
Musical Inspiration
Last night the kids and their dad had an impromptu jam session with “The First Noel.” Ty played the cello, Leah her viola, and Curt his trumpet, while I was the designated groupie directed to the couch (I gave up the piano for sports in 6th grade).
Halfway through the session, Ty looked up, his eyes shining. “This is AWESOME! We have our own band.”
This after I prodded Ty last week—again—to practice for his teacher, me having paid her at the beginning of the month, inhaling silently, trying not to think about the cost and wondering whether music lessons were the way to go. And then after Ty’s lesson yesterday afternoon, Leah declaring, “He get so much done compared to my school orchestra. Can I have private lessons, Mom?” Mental hitch: two taking lessons?
This after Leah’s consultation with the orthodontist a couple weeks ago and the declaration that yes, she needs braces and more, to the tune of $5,000 or so over a couple of years, the going rate for orthodontia, any parent will tell you, all of it boiling down to chunky monthly payments, a car payment on teeth.
This after receiving news of our annual health insurance increase, bigger than usual, and the news I will be jumping an age bracket (adding another increase)–due to change in the New Year just as the Christmas Visa arrives.
But even I—Ms. Practical Balance the Checkbook Every Month—can’t put a price tag on the AWESOME band, Leah’s infinite patience with Ty ( a rarity, I tell you) while he worked out the kinks on the song, her encouragement and positive comments, the musical camaraderie.
We may not be driving further than Birch Bay next summer, but the kids will be making music.
1 comment