Oh well.
Despite my best efforts, including a large monetary reward on offer, Josiah spent the portion of the violin thing that he could have joined in with on my lap saying ‘I can’t do it’, and ‘I don’t know if I can’ (by the time he’d finished wondering if he could, the moment had been and gone 
). Of course he could have, but I don’t know, was it all too much or just my own self fulfilling prophecy? Or perhaps something else entirely, as ten minutes later he was asleep on my lap, despite me having given him a really early night last night and him having slept in until at least 9am today.
Who knows. The mind of a 5yo (or this particular 5yo) is unfathomable to me at least and I feel pretty much ready to give up parenting him as I have reached the end of myself over and over and over again and I just don’t know what to do with him. (just a minor aside there!)
Meanwhile Anna was pretty grumpy owing to a sleepover last night at which hardly any sleep was had (unsurprising I suppose) and Abbie was grumpy due to being largely ignored between the antics of the other two.
Still, it was a pleasant couple of hours, the children who did play played beautifully and I have to say that the later Suzuki repertoire is lovely to listen to, I really enjoyed it despite all the agro with my children. And that is the reason why we’ll persevere, I guess – because so did Josiah, actually. He’d enjoyed listening to the children playing before his section – then fell asleep – then half way through he woke up and the 10yo boy who is in the lesson before him (so we see him every week) brought him a chocolate mini-roll, which perked him up and he enjoyed the last part of the afternoon. I finally met the lady who runs the group lessons that we missed the other day and I hope we’ll manage to get to her group in the New Year so that by the time the summer concert comes around, Joe will know the other children and be a bit more ready for the whole playing together thing.
Oh, and Steve’s home, there’s a roast dinner in the oven, and a bottle of wine open. Not sure which of those I am the most pleased about! 
December 3rd, 2006 at 18:11
As it was his first, it was probably a mix of nerves and shyness more than anything I would imagine. The more he goes and sees kids he actually knows getting up and performing quite happily should make it easier for him. And as he enjoyed listening to it…… just takes time and patience. Sometimes a lot of patience! But doesn’t that make life oh so *interesting*?!
December 3rd, 2006 at 18:18
5yo seems very young to get up before an audience – the reason Big quit ballet was because she didn’t want to be in the show. I’m sure he could play the part, but the rest of it is a different can of worms altogether.
I can still vividly remember the first time I played in public – Mary had a little lamb variations.
December 3rd, 2006 at 18:54
Ernest and I sat and watched swimming lessons so he’d know what was going on before he started – playing in front of an audience seems like a far huger thing than that! *I* wouldn’t want to get up and play with people when I’d had no rehearsal with them – seems to me like a perfectly reasonable reaction from Joe.
Hope he’s not coming down with something though.