Oh Look! Zoot’s Crying Again! Must Be Another On-Star Commercial.
I’ve often discussed the sensitivity of my tear ducts. On-Star commercials are notorious for making me bawl my eyes out, but any Kid Dialing 911 tape will do it too. And when my kids are involved? Anything that triggers that “PRIDE” alarm in my body? THERE GO THE TEARS. When NikkiZ scored goals in soccer last year? Tears. When she had her first dance recital last summer? Tears. First time at bat for T-ball? TEARS. But you know what? Nothing in any of my parenting with sensitive tear duct history could prepare me for this damn musical my kids are in.
At first it was just seeing LilZ on this huge stage doing these dance numbers I couldn’t dream of learning. Then it was seeing his sister march across stage for her simple 16-count part. (Seriously. Ask Ronda about that one – I was bawling watching our girls rehearse yesterday.) But last night – as I watched a bit of rehearsal before heading to NikkiZ’s t-ball practice – I realized it’s not just MY kids. There’s this 5-year old that has a big part in the show that does all of these flips and stuff and he’s AMAZING. I was watching him and that PRIDE alarm went off and I starting crying. AGAIN. AND HE’S NOT MY KID. Yet – I feel like I’ve gotten to know these kids during this whole ordeal and somehow, somewhere along the way, they all became mine. I feel so proud watching ALL of them. I watched one of the leads rehearse last night and carry every single one of his lines of PERFECTLY even when the opposing character stumbled a bit. Just seeing this kid (because he’s an elementary school student, not even a high school-er) maintain composer and still deliver every line perfectly? PRIDE. PRIDE. PRIDE.
But here’s the thing. IS THAT CREEPY? Should I just avoid watching rehearsals from now on? Should I be glad I’ll be backstage during most of the shows and not watching out front where I’ll surely be bawling my eyes out every second? I don’t want LilZ to be known as The Kid With The Mom Who Cries A Lot.
Please tell me I’m not the only one who his this level of sensitivity when it comes to Tears of Pride. Or tears in general. I’m trying to decide whether or not I should go into hiding until this thing is over with.
You are so not alone. I’m been a blubbery mess these last few months as my son is graduating from 8th Grade (its a Catholic School, 8th grade graduation is a big deal) and I cry over every “last”: our last b-ball game, the girls last b-ball game, the last Race for Education, the last Halloween dance, the last Christmas party….I’ve come to know and love the kids he goes to school with and feel like they are part of my family. I’m starting to cry just typing this! I will be a basket case at graduation!
Congrats to LilZ and his castmates! Break a leg!
I am not a big cryer, I just am not, but just reading your story gives me goosebumps. Especially with musicals and things like that, I get emotional. It also always makes me want to be a part of the group. That is what I love about these performances, it is a group effort, and (usually) everyone is so proud of each other. I am not sure my kids will be of the musical kind, but I sure hope so!
Nope. Not alone. Once at one of my daughter’s Tae Kwon Do belt grads we watched one of the school’s demo teams do a routine. It was amazing. And then I noticed one particular kid. And I realized he was blind. He was twirling weapons, doing fight moves, gymnastics… I was trying to hold it in so much. That lump in my throat… comes back every time I think about it.
Shoot, Zoot, I could Pride Cry you under a table. I don’t have kids yet but am a blubbery mess when I see other people overcome obstacles or (like in the case of your kids’ play) show maturity and grace beyond their years.
I also cry out of frustration. If I am given constructive criticism, no matter who the source is-even if I understand completely where they are coming from-I cry. Mostly because I’m frustrated the other party isn’t seeing the situation from MY side.
So no worries Zoot. I think it just means we’re super caring people!
Let me give you a quote from my 18 year old to his friends “I made my mom cry, Yes!” They know that the emotion means I am sooooooooo proud of them. I get chills every time I see them on the stage, and that to this point has been alot! It never ends. I do also cry for the other actors. What every one of them has done in just a few months is amazing. Its like when your child begins reading~~~The World Is Open to Them, and they’ve done it themselves!
My problem is I get so involved in watching them that I forget the other things I am supposed to be doing! Hope the props get finished and on the stage!
May the tears overflow from your heart to your eyes.
Aw. I’d say it’s about eight parts sweet to two parts creepy. J/K! If LilZ doesn’t care, then I wouldn’t worry about it.
You have nothing to be ashamed of! Being moved to tears proves you’re flesh and blood rather than stone. Go and compliment the kids whose performances moved you. Say something to their parents also, if possible. Hug your own kids and tell them how proud you are. You wouldn’t believe how much your positive comments might mean to other kids, their parents, and to your own kids.
I tear up all the time… sweet commercials, anything involving honoring the military (former Army brat here), certain hymns in church, you name it. I don’t think it is creepy of you at all. After all, you have a vested interest in these children and in this production now. It is certainly normal to be proud of what a kid can do
oh my gosh, i do this TOO! i cried at all the Olympic commercials, i cry every time there’s an On Star commercial. when i’m at a high school or junior high play i cry through the ENTIRE thing because i’m just so proud of all the kids! i’ve been known to tear up at other people’s blog posts – like the one you wrote after finishing your Tiarathon, or when NikkiZ finished her race.
you’re definitely not alone!
You’re not the only one. Everything makes me cry. EVERYTHING. Every single emotion I have is directly plugged into my tear ducts.
As many have said, it’s not just you. I was a mess during the Olympics with those Kleenex “they’ll always be kids to their moms” and speed skater/sister dying/Visa commercials. I get goosebumps and teary during all kinds of stuff… even Glee. Sometimes it seems kind of silly but some years ago, I was a person who did not cry. I’d convinced myself crying was a weakness, bla la la, and finally had a breakthrough in therapy. Sometimes I feel like I haven’t stopped crying since… and that’s perfectly OK.
Your post made me teary eyed.
Uh….I teared up a bit when I saw you the other day and said Congrats on the Disney Run
You are totally NOT alone!!
Nope, you’re not creepy, and you’re not alone. I think it’s awesome that some of us can get so emotionally involved in the hard work and success of others that we tear up. I do the same thing!
I’m with you on the sensitive tear ducts – those PnG commercials during the olympics almost left me dehydrated. However – the pride? Totally normal – I’ve felt that way when I was running/involved in productions, and none of them were my kids!
All through high school, my job was to cantor (a.k.a. sing solos) for Mass at our Catholic Church. I would sing three Masses a weekend and sometimes weddings and funerals at night. Point is…my dad heard me sing hundreds of times. And he wiped away tears EVERY SINGLE TIME. Even though we don’t really have a relationship anymore, it still makes me feel good that he was proud of me then. Your kids (and their friends) are lucky to have a mom who finds such joy in their existence!
The crying pride thing… for other peoples children…. ME TOO! although I have learned to tone it down since I’m a teacher and people do find it creepy when the teacher is crying…
Commericals, productions, I would be right there crying with you.
I think you would make a wonderful teacher if you have that much invested in any group of kids. The tearing up happens to me after (or, uh, during) my students musical performances. It’s nice to hear it happens to other folks too.
Anytime there is a celebration or performance involving kids and music I get all choked up and teary too. There is absolutely nothing I can do about it. My 11-year-old son plays piano and is in the school orchestra (viola) so I’ve got a lot of years of crying ahead of me. Sigh.
I even bawled my way through my entire high school graduation 24 years ago because of Pomp and Circumstance and I HATED high school. I was in the front row (because I graduated with honors) and the teachers on the stage who knew me and saw me kept making faces at me, trying to make me laugh.
I do this too!! I cried so much when my 4 year old was a lamb in the Christmas that everyone thought something tragic had happened. It makes me nuts but I have no control over it. I thought i was the only pride cryer around so your post made me feel so much better. THanks!!
OMG!!! I am right with you. There was a Flintstone episode with a tender moment between Fred and Pebbles…and I bawled like a baby…..when my grandson graduated from PRESCHOOL……I sobbed uncontrollably….and then when he was getting married….I cried so hard at the rehearsal….that I was forced to take a xanax for the actual wedding!!!! I can’t help it. I hate it about myself…but I just can’t help it. Karen
You’re not alone! I get teary EVERY SINGLE TIME I drop my kid off at preschool & he goes through the gate happy. I’m pretending the teachers haven’t noticed.
(If he puts up a fight, annoyance over rules the tears…)
Oh God! You are so not alone. I cry at commercials, movies, radio ads, any and every activity my kids
have every been involved in. The annoying thing is
my husband always knows when I’m about to tear
up and starts laughing at me.
you are NOT alone!
I felt really silly for crying in class the other day. Public tears always make me feel really “out there” – but this time I asked a couple other girls if they’d cried too, and they said yes. (We were watching a film on genocide in Bosnia. It was completely heartbreaking.)
Nope, you are not alone. My son will be graduating high school next year and I’ve had to stop myself from crying when I’ve thought about it since he was in 9th grade. Seriously, I don’t know how I’m going to make it through when he goes off to college!
I’m a total cryer. I cry for everything. Sunday in church they were doing the Easter program and there was a part where some teenage girls do some ballet and I was bawling sitting there thinking how proud their parents must be.