Oops... send me to e-hell

[fklwmn]

eHellions, I was SO RUDE last night. In fact, not only was I rude, but my mother was rude as well. I felt just awful about it at the time, but I also could just not help myself. I am here for confession and to recieve my penance... or to be sent to eHell for eternity. Here's my story...

Last night was DS1's holiday Chorus concert. He is in 6th grade so this is the first year we have done the Chorus thing. He had a small show at a retirement home last week, at which I behaved admirably, I swear. But this time I brought my video camera.

With the wonderful zoom function of my video camera, I got to appreciate exactly how much of a clown my son is. For about the first half of the concert I videoed the whole group, or zoomed in a little clower and panned along the risers. Then I zoomed in on my son.

The first time I caught him, he was making bug eyes. I don't know how else to describe it, but they were the biggest eyes I have ever seen on a human face. singing along like nothing else was going on, with these HUGE bug eyes. I elbowed my mom. She started watching him through the camera as well.

He made numerous funny faces, but it was when he started rolling his eyes around in complete circles that I lost it. I really tried to stifle myself, but I was laughing so hard my mom snatched the video camera from me. And I know I disturbed the people around me. I just couldn't help it.

My mom finally lost it when he started shaking his head as if he was tryingto get water out of his ear. Not to the beat of the music or anything... just randomly shaking his head to one side. At this point we were both cracking up. As quietly as possible, but still... I can imagine for those people who did not have their camera zoomed on my son's face, there was no reason to be laughing and we seemed HORRIBLY rude for doing so mid-concert.

We were finally able to get ourselves under control, but I was embarrassed and felt really bad about our behavior. I have to hand it to my son though... His chorus teacher probably saw his antics, but all anyone else in the audience would have caught would have been a little fidgeting when he shook his head. He was very discreet in his antics, and not nearly as disruptive as my mother and I were.

I can only imagine what we missed during the first half of the performance when I wasn't zoomed in on him!

[IndianInlaw]

Send it to America's Funnies Home Videos.

Ya never know!

[Shoo]

Okay, you've repented and seen the error of your ways.  

Your penance is this:

You must show your son this video frame by frame and go over the fine details of his behavior.  You, and he, are to examine your behaviors (especially his) to determine what was wrong, and what WILL be improved upon.  Your son will be properly chastised and you will gain invaluable experience in child behavior modification.


P.S.  I would have laughed too.  And then I'd have felt ashamed of myself.  We're only human, right?

[Clara Bow]

I don't think that laughing was wrong, as long as you tried to keep it under wraps. And your son sounds like a card. But I think that it might behoove you to have a word with the budding Robin Williams about his behavior, though I wouldn't belabor the point much. It's not like he was going ape in front of the London Philharmonic.
Just think how much fun showing that video to his prom date will be!

[fklwmn]

I don't think that laughing was wrong, as long as you tried to keep it under wraps. And your son sounds like a card. But I think that it might behoove you to have a word with the budding Robin Williams about his behavior, though I wouldn't belabor the point much. It's not like he was going ape in front of the London Philharmonic.
Just think how much fun showing that video to his prom date will be!

Oh, I talked to my son about it. He is naturally very fidgetty and he said that during class he bounces in place. He knew he couldn't do that during the concert so he was basicallyfidgeting with his eyes/face. I have a hard time chastising him for that since no one in the audience could really see his face other than us (thanks to digital zoom!) and he really was doing his very best to be as still as possible for the performance.

Poor kid. lol.

[dawbs]

Oh, I talked to my son about it. He is naturally very fidgetty and he said that during class he bounces in place. He knew he couldn't do that during the concert so he was basicallyfidgeting with his eyes/face. I have a hard time chastising him for that since no one in the audience could really see his face other than us (thanks to digital zoom!) and he really was doing his very best to be as still as possible for the performance.

Poor kid. lol.

Feel free to ignore this, but a random suggestion...
as an ADHDer with the tendency to fidget, I had to find ways to channel my fidgety-ness.

I fingerspell.  It works wonder and is usually not distracting (so yes, if you look over at me in church when I'm tring desperately not to fidget, and my left hand is folded over my right hand, I'm hiding the fact that my right hand is doing sign language, finger-spelling what the pastor is saying/the choir is singing/I am singing/etc.) 
(and it improves my (very poor) signing skills...or at least the finger-spelling part)

[fklwmn]

Oh, I talked to my son about it. He is naturally very fidgetty and he said that during class he bounces in place. He knew he couldn't do that during the concert so he was basicallyfidgeting with his eyes/face. I have a hard time chastising him for that since no one in the audience could really see his face other than us (thanks to digital zoom!) and he really was doing his very best to be as still as possible for the performance.

Poor kid. lol.

Feel free to ignore this, but a random suggestion...
as an ADHDer with the tendency to fidget, I had to find ways to channel my fidgety-ness.

I fingerspell.  It works wonder and is usually not distracting (so yes, if you look over at me in church when I'm tring desperately not to fidget, and my left hand is folded over my right hand, I'm hiding the fact that my right hand is doing sign language, finger-spelling what the pastor is saying/the choir is singing/I am singing/etc.) 
(and it improves my (very poor) signing skills...or at least the finger-spelling part)

CRUD MONKEYS!!! I do the SAME thing... just randomly start fingerspelling. I never thought about it, but it probably IS so that I don't fidget (I am also an ADHD'er, lol)too funny. maybe I'll teach it to my son

[djinnidjream]

Well...count me into the rude part then too.  A number of years ago I was sitting in church with my Mom.  We had the worlds worst organist, she played almost everything like a funeral dirge- or slower.  This particular time, during either offering or communion, I can't remember, she was playing this chord, and then launches into "Take me out to the ball game". OK.. it wasn't that, but the first several notes sounded like it- to the point that Mom and me almost peed ourselves because we were trying to laugh quietly.  Dad doesn't let us sit together in church anymore.