I found this on my daughter's blog
Jessica Day Ontiveros and couldn't resist placing it here today.
To Skate or Not to Skate
Every other Monday night was suspenseful in our house growing up.
The happiness of 6 young children hinged on a handful of poor and
unsuspecting piano and voice students. The weight of our worlds on their
poor little shoulders. It was simple, if their parent’s paid for their
lessons today we got to go to the skating rink. If they didn’t, we
didn’t.
We would wait “patiently” as the student would try relentlessly to
pound out a beginner’s version of Jingle Bells. My Mom and her ever
patient and gentle instructions somehow making sense of it all to the
kid, who really just wanted to play drums in the school band but had to
get piano out of the way first.
One of us would watch the clock and someone else would watch the
window for the parent coming to retrieve their child. Sometimes if they
came early and sat in their car for a while we would try to pass the
time by “entertaining” the bored adult. I remember one specific instance
when we adorned one of us (probably my poor little brother to five
sisters) with a pot on the head and a wooden spoon. The little performer
marched like a soldier from one side of the yard to the other,
rhythmically beating the pot with the spoon. I can only imagine the
concern for our mental state these poor people must have had.
So finally the time would come when the last student would leave.
One look at my Mom’s face and we would know whether they had paid her or
not.
My Dad worked very hard at two jobs, he was a music minister and
(because we all know how much they get paid) also an auto parts delivery
truck driver. My Mom had upwards of 30 piano and voice students, this
was what funded our skating.
Oh the torment we must’ve put my poor Mother through. Six little
faces staring at her as if our lives depended on being able to skate.
Especially if she hadn’t been paid. I also can’t imagine homeschooling
six kids or teaching 30 music students a week only to have the profits
go to a few rolls around the track and a game of Dead Bug. Which was
really difficult in heavy roller skates, by the way.
Sometimes we didn’t get to go. Which was of course devastating. For
all of 5 minutes. We’d silently curse the parent for forgetting her
check book and maybe shed a few tears. But then Mom would come up with
some fun thing to do that completely erased it from our minds. We might
read The Chronicles of Narnia by candlelight and drink hot tea, or watch
Anne of Green Gables all curled up in their huge water bed. Mom always
has a way of turning everything into something more enjoyable.
I should probably add (in case it sounds like we were deprived of
entertainment) that we did many other fun things and were involved in
other activities throughout the week. On Monday nights however, we only
cared about skating.
So then there were the glorious times when we did get to go. You
may wonder why it was every other Monday night. This was simply because
every other Monday night at our local skating rink was Homeschool Night,
of course. A whole night dedicated to families like us! Although I
don’t remember there being many other people there.
The icing on the cake was that Homeschool Night doubled as
Christian Music Night. Because apparently every homeschooling family is
also a christian family? Anyway, we were definitely that, so
Homeschool/Christian Music Night was our night.
There were some rare occasions that we went on a non-homeschool
night, nights where they played “secular” music (gasp!). Honestly, I
don’t remember any songs that played on Homeschool/Christian Music
night, I do however remember vividly the other nights. Nights where I’d
skate around to Tim McGraw’s ‘I like it I love it’ feeling oddly naughty
while pretending not to enjoy it or even know the words. I also
remember the sheer shock and horror that melted into silent delight when
I’d catch one of my parents singing along to “the devil’s music”. I
always knew they were the “normal” ones after all.
Looking back I’m so grateful for those evenings when we waited for
the answer to the question “To skate, or not to skate”. They taught me
that you can’t always get exactly what you want when you want it. That
you have to work for everything that’s anything and that sometimes no
matter how hard you work, other people may end up holding the key to
your happiness… and disappoint you. In those instances we can choose to
be devastated or find a different happiness, like reading Chronicles of
Narnia by candlelight. Thanks Mom
