Today’s adventure in Mommy land brought to you by Yamaha, Remo, and various other percussion manufacturers… (just kidding)
After a very poor night’s sleep, during which both my 2 year old and my 10 month old ended up in my bed, I got up, scrubbed up, and got all my boys out the door for church by 8am. My husband was not here today, he’s doing what Marines do. I had to stay longer than usual at church because I sang a solo in both services. After my second time singing, I went out the back of the church and proceeded to collect my brood from their respective classrooms in the nursery. One of the nursery ladies was kind enough to help me by carrying my sleeping infant. I had the 2 year old, and the older two were walking to the van. Andrew, the four year old, then took off running. “No problem”, I called to my panicking 6 year old, “He’s probably just going to the van”. After all - that’s what he’s usually doing. But why be usual? He blew past the van like a miniature Olympian. My sleep-deprived mind sluggishly calculated his probable course, much like forecasting the landfall of a hurricane. Only I knew with much greater accuracy where he had to be going. “Oh NO!” I moaned, “He’s heading for the drums!” In the moment it took me to say that - it was already too late. Andrew burst through the back door of our sanctuary and disappeared from my sight. I didn’t bother running; I knew I couldn’t catch him. Like Pepe LePew chasing that cat, I calmly walked into the church in time to see one of our deacons pull him off the drumset in front of a highly amused congregation. My pastor kindly extemporised an illustration for his sermon while I hoisted Andrew and proceeded back down the aisle. All the way out Andrew was screaming “But I want to play the Bass Drum! And the Snare Drum! And the Toms! And the High Hats!” Did I mention that he’s single-minded?
Honestly, I wasn’t all that embarassed. Although I regret disrupting the service, I actually thought it was pretty funny. But then - I know my son. He wasn’t trying to be bad, or rebellious, or disrespectful… He just LOVES to drum! Drumming is what he does for about 70% of his awake time. That’s his thing. And motherly pride notwithstanding, he’s very very good at it. Freaky, prodigy-type good. You know, the Bible says “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he’s old he will not depart from it” Andrew already knows the way he should go is toward the drums - he just needs to work on that element that is so crucial to any good performer - Timing!