More Sad

Weird stuff's been happening lately. Most of it is so unrelated to opera that it doesn't appear here in the blog.

But now, something that I suspected might happen has happened, and I'm not surprised, as I would have reacted exactly the same way.

One of my opera friends, a regular reader of this blog, is several months shy of his 18th birthday. His mother found out we were friends and told him no, no, no. Now, this is a perfectly normal friendship, an innocent friendship, nothing smarmy or funky or whatever. The point is, we became friends over opera, before we knew each other's ages, because it just didn't matter. We became friends because of the music.

However, when Alex is 17, I'd be pretty freaked out if he were friends with a 41 year old woman. This friend's mother and I come from a generation of not having had internet as children and young adults. Not knowing how internet-savvy she is, she may not understand the types of innocent friendships that can form between unlikely people, such a teenage guy and an adult woman, over a common interest. All we hear about are the creepy relationships where minors are lured to hotels to be molested by creepy ... well by creeps. So I can totally understand where she's coming from, and although it makes me sad to put a friendship "on hold," I absolutely must respect her wishes. Like, as soon as I found out, I immediately terminated the conversation.

It's possible that this friend and I will continue to communicate publicly about music via comments on blogs, youtube videos and so on, however, I will not allow any direct interaction via chat or email.

So, to the mom of my opera friend, I hear ya, I understand, I respect your wishes. I'm a mom too. Your son is a kid I'm friends with. There's nothing inappropriate. So no worries, ok?

These Are (just) A Few of My Favorite Things

The conversation in the women's dressing room often turns to topics of a girly nature. The topic of childbirth came up, and as the only mother there I was asked a few questions. Pregnancy and childbirth are scary concepts when you're not yet pregnant, but think you might want to pop out a kid or two in the future. Your body changes and does all sorts of strange things. So, to counteract that year or so of bodily discomfort (taking recovery and miscellaneous whatever into account) and who knows how many months of sleep deprivation, I would like now to list a few my favorite things about being a mom:

• When you're feeding your infant (breast or bottle) he or she looks at you with these big, trusting eyes. My son made these cute little noises (that he still makes today when he uses a straw!) and he also used to hum a descending tone.
• They smell wonderful. Even their breath. I loved smelling my son's breath when he was an infant. That may sound weird to anyone who is not a parent.
• There is nothing like the weight of a baby on your chest or in your arms. They're like warm sacks of sugar.
  
• At about 8 weeks old, they smile at you. It's impossible not to smile back.
  
• Baby giggles are wonderful.
• They look angelic when sleeping.
• My son sang before he could talk. I love that! He would ask to hear pieces of music by da da da-ing the first few bars. He would get insistent if we didn't put it on right away. He also used to chant out the beat of songs.
  
• It's wonderful to cuddle with your child.
• Pretty much any time I sit or lay down my son will climb all over me and then settle in somewhere.
• A spontaneous kiss or "I love you Mommy" can brighten up your gloomiest mood.
• I love getting on the floor to play.
  
• Children interpret things from their own self-centered perspective. Sometimes they'll answer a question correctly but it's not the answer you expected. It's awesome! You see the world a whole new way.
  
• Watching a child learn opens up your own imagination.

These are the things that matter. Got it?