A Change in Perspective

I've heard people say that your perspective changes once you're a parent. Never had I experienced that until last night...

Last night I went with my parents (who were in town for the weekend) to see my sister in her first performance with The Storling Dance Theater. It was the second (and final) night of "Underground", an original production about The Underground Railroad. It was an AMAZING production, by far the best that Laura has been in, and I felt so lucky to have witnessed it! By the way, if you live in the Kansas City area, plan to see it when they re-run it in a couple of years.

The show was very emotional (as Laura's boyfriend so eloquently put it) but the most emotional part for me came near the beginning. In this particular scene a young slave boy (maybe 10 or 12) is sold to another plantation. Following the "transaction" we see his father trying to beat the people that are taking his son, which of course results in him suffering a whipping himself. Meanwhile the boy's mother is on the other end of the stage in absolute anguish over her son being ripped from their family.

Before having Jackson, Tyler and Chase I would have seen that scene as very sad, but it would have been a passing feeling. Now that I am a mother the scene struck a much deeper chord with me. As I watched the mother and father I felt sick - my heart actually hurt! I couldn't imagine having someone take one of my boy's away and my heart did not want to think about. Tears welled up very quickly and I still get that feeling reading this out loud! 

That scene stayed with me as I fed my boys later that night and then as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep. It is still with me now, although the painful feeling isn't as bad. I'm sure this is just one of many changes in perspective I will notice in the coming years - here's hoping they don't all make me want to cry.