Parenting… one of the most challenging and rewarding roles but how do we know we’ve done or are doing it right? Million-dollar question right there!
Don’t panic, this isn’t going to turn into a self-help parenting guide blog. Humour me a moment.
I shared a short story on here recently (The Measly Jar of Motivation – Inside Out | Coral McCallum ) and there were echoes in it of the night my son was born.
There was a moment in time that has lived with me for more than twenty-five years and it came a few short hours after he was born. It was late, after midnight, and I was totally exhausted after giving birth. It had been a very long day! In the plastic crib at the end of the bed, my newborn son began to cry. Instinctively, I got out of bed, lifted him into my arms and tried to console him. He’d had a rough day too. As I gazed out the window into the dark night and at the streetlights twinkling below, the weight of responsibility of being a parent hit me. It hit me like a ton of bricks!
This tiny crying bundle of joy was depending on me. Was I up to the job? Could I nurture and care for and teach this child the life skills he would need to reach adulthood? I’ll not lie…at that moment I felt totally overwhelmed and SO underprepared for motherhood.
I’ve never classed myself as a natural mother but whether my now adult children agree or not, I’ve done my best. They both made it safely to adulthood. Whew!
Fast forward eleven years or so from the cold dark night that my son was worn. Over the years I had among other things introduced him to music and tried to nurture his tastes. The day had finally come when I was taking him to his first concert. Unsure as to how he would be in a crowd of rock fans, I’d erred on the side of caution and opted for seated tickets. (See I could be a sensible mother sometimes). He was beyond excited to be at his first “gig”.
The support act that night were a young up-and-coming Southern rock band from Kentucky called Black Stone Cherry. The first song they played was a song called Rain Wizard… and so began a lifelong love of live music for my son.
A few weeks ago, having queued outside in the pouring rain for over an hour, my son and I took up our spots just off the rail for the night and for the umpteenth time prepared to watch Black Stone Cherry play live. Rain Wizard was on the set and as the thundering drum intro began, I was transported for a moment back to that night from 2009 in Glasgow’s SEC.
Fourteen years and countless gigs from numerous bands later, my baby boy was still happily beside me at a gig. I smiled to myself and realised that maybe I hadn’t done so bad a job of being a parent after all.
Oh and if you’re curious about the song, here’s the video from the other week
Rain Wizard – Black Stone Cherry @ St Luke’s Glasgow 06/10/23 – YouTube
(image sourced via Google – credits to the owner)
Coral McCallum 