A month or so ago, when the kids started practicing for their Sunday School Christmas program, both came home announcing they had volunteered to be angels. I didn't think much of it, other than to note neither of them had speaking lines to memorize.
Apparently AJ didn't think much about the implications either. For instance, he didn't notice that he was the only boy who raised his hand to be an angel. He also didn't think about what the costume would involve.
So imagine his horror when he arrived at church and learned he was going to have to wear - in his words - "fairy wings".
Surprisingly, the halo head piece didn't bother him. It was just the wings. He was sure the other kids would laugh at him. I tried to cheer him up, pointing out that all the boys dressed as shepherds were basically wearing long dresses. That seemed to work. And so with a parting reminder to not let anyone else bother him, I went to take my seat.
A short time later the kids came out and took their places on the stage. And AJ, I could tell, was fighting back tears.
Sydney, meanwhile, was adorable and excited and.. I have to say a bit like the royal cousin who wore the odd hat to Prince William's and Princess Kate's wedding. How she got her halo to tilt at that angle is beyond me. It was straight at the moment I'd left her.
The show dragged on. With each passing song, fewer and fewer kids seemed to know the words. It was confusing to me to see the kids basically divided into three groups: angels, shepherds and street clothes. There were no special songs sung by just the angels or just the shepherds. Had AJ spoken up to one of the adults involved with the show, there was no reason he couldn't have just skipped the costume.
On a brighter note, as the show stretched on, AJ's mood seemed to brighten.
At last the show ended and I was able to tell AJ how proud I was of him for being brave enough to go on stage in a costume he didn't want to wear. "The kids laughed at me," he confirmed.
"Which ones?" I asked. "Your friends?"
"Not my friends. The girls."
"Which girls?"
It turns out it was only two girls. And the one that started it was none other than this one:
Not such an angel after all.
So what are the lessons learned? AJ will be paying more attention next year to which part he volunteers for, and what that part involves. He's already said he wants a speaking part. Meanwhile I need to volunteer to help so that I know what the show involves before the night of the performance. And hopefully Sydney has learned that she needs to look out for her big brother the same way he looks out for her.
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