El Balcon de Gicel: Sweet Child O' Mine

Making sweet memories with your kids is such a lovely affair. It's a reminder that you might not be doing such a bad job as a parent after all. You see, as of late I've been having to deal with a 12 year old prepubescent boy, 10 year old sassy girl, and a 5 year old who is trying to acclimate to a new chapter in life: kindergarten. Okay, let's not get off topic, let's talk about my beautiful 10 year old sassy girl. We celebrated her birthday recently, and all she wanted was One Direction concert tickets. WHAT?!? Since when did this affinity for boy bands start? Overnight? I began to feel a bit glum as the feeling of failure came over me, so I sat down to chat with her about this, and all the other possible things I might have missed due to this fast paced world we live in. Turns out she was too embarrased to talk about it. Phew! I began to share my affinity for boy bands (N'SYNC ah!), and she was surprised to learn that Justin Timberlake formed part of the band. She digs Justin too.

Fast forward to her birthday wish list and "1D Concert Tickets" were at the top of that list. Both my husband and I had recently established that all things the kids ask for, they must earn. Even birthday gifts. Well, EXPENSIVE birthday gifts. And, we don't really ask for much. The kids need to do their homework, keep their rooms tidy, and kicking the good 'ol A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E to the curb! Zoe had exactly 10 days to earn these tickets. And she did, just like I knew she would. Initially it was just going to be her and I attending the show, but surprisingly the tickets were very fairly priced. We decided to make it a family affair much to Miles' dismay. But that's a whole other story. We bought the tickets for opening night, and decided to keep it it hush until we got to the Rose Bowl. We rolled up tp the parking lot, I looked through my rearview mirror, and nada! There were girls singing One Direction songs at the top of their lungs, cars blasting songs, and HUGE signs that said "One Direction Drop-Off Here", and still no signs of her knowing where we were. She was still under the impression we were going to "dad's work event". It dawned on me there that my daughter is still that sweet innocent little girl that likes to play with dolls. The little girl that still likes to sleep with mom and cuddle. That little girl that still asks me to braid her hair, and pick out her clothes. I realize that one day all of this will just be a sweet memory, so I am taking in every bit of it and delighting in it. It was until we got off the car that she finally realized where we were. Her tiny heart was filled with bliss!

I know this is a moment in her life that she will treasure forever. This is a moment she will talk about and share with folks for the rest of her life. I still talk about my very first concert experience (Green Day Circa 95) . Don't you? I asked if I can forever be her concert companion, and she said "yes!" as she leaned over to hug me. No greater feeling than unconditional love.