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| Ann and Ellen, fifth and sixth from left, stand on stage for their preschool's Christmas performance as they wave to familiar faces. / Courtesy of Jane Han |
Twins do first stage performance
By Jane Han
After coming out of one of the worst colds of my life, I was awarded with an early Christmas present ― my twin girls' first-ever preschool Christmas performance.
I knew they'd been practicing nine songs for the past month, but every time I asked them to try them at home, I got nothing. I assumed that the songs ― in English, of course ― may be a little too difficult for the girls to follow.
That was fine, so I wasn't expecting much. Not much at all.
But as always, kids just love doing a complete 180. And in this case, it was the good kind.
Ellen, who was proud to stand right smack in the center of the stage, not only appeared to be singing along, but busted out with all the motions to go with each song.
Ann, who was having a bad morning from the moment she woke up, didn't look too psyched to be on stage, but stood with a deer-in-the-headlights look and stuck through ― until she finally broke out in tears halfway through the eighth song.
To me, the mom, even that moment melted my heart. I began tearing up a few times, but every time the emotions started building up, Lauren served as a major distraction and snapped me out of the mood.
At one point during the 30-minute program, I took a quick moment to look around at other parents, grandparents and family friends who had their eyes glued on their own little ones.
They looked so happy, so proud.
Yes, there is definitely something about watching little children perform. So what is it about these performances that make them so special?
First, it's the innocence.
These pink-cheeked tiny tots have that undeniably innocent look on their faces. No one tries to look pretty, no one tries to act cool, and no one tries hard to outshine the friend next to them. They would be considered successful if they don't break into tears. Their sheer existence and presence on stage is more than enough to make any performance shine.
Second, it's another milestone.
The moment I saw Ellen and Ann walk through the door and onto the stage, I got a huge lump in my throat. I couldn't believe my little twins have grown up this much.
Just a few months ago, they were so miserable at school, struggling to get used to teachers, friends and a whole new language. But now, here they were, smiling and standing so proudly.
I then imagined for a split second what it would be like to see them walk in their high school graduation. So many people tell me how quickly time flies to that moment. I am so not ready for that and so glad that we are in preschool this very moment.
I know we'll have many more performances to attend over the years and, who knows, maybe the excitement will fade with each one, but this is the first one and it's definitely a special milestone.
Lastly, watching a class performance helped me put my things into perspective.
I am the kind of mom who drops the kids off and dashes right out. I always have Lauren in my arms so I can't linger around much. So even if it has been four months already, I haven't gotten a chance to get a close look at Ellen and Ann's class as a whole.
I've been hearing the girls mention a few names of friends, but didn't know exactly who they were. Honestly, with all kinds of newer names these days, I thought half the names they mentioned were boys all along, but they turned out to be girls.
It was a good experience to for me to see my daughters among their peers and see the overall picture. It was also a humbling opportunity to confirm that, yes, my girls are indeed the shortest of all.
As I continue to replay the video of the girls' first stage performance every night before bed, I'll probably continue reliving the touching moment, over and over again, until the girls' next chance to go on stage.
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