Watching our son stand for his Christmas concert

It's the time of year when my hubby goes in late to work due to the variety of Christmas related performances. 

Last weeks was Anthony's turn for the Yr 3 & Yr 4 'Christmas Sing-Up'. A wonderful 45 minutes of Christmas cheer squashed into a gym hall. With a mix of whole year, cast and class songs to enjoy!  As always it opens with a song from the whole 180 kids on stage. Except of course for our son. 

We know Anthony knows all the words, because he sings them in the car and in the bathroom, even sometimes in bed. But it's as if his mouth is glued shut. He must have been breathing through his nose in an effort to ensure not a sound escaped his lips. It's ironic really as Anthony actually has a lovely singing voice and carries a tune far better than a lot of the other kids there (honestly not just because I'm his mum either). Instead what actually happened was that my husband took three hours off work (by the time you add in commuting etc) in order to watch our son stand up and sit down with between 29 and 179 other kids. 

But wait, there was also some instrument playing. Anthony has music therapy so can actually play a bit of piano. And again the truth is he'd have been just as good if not better than the other kids... if he would play in front of an audience.  It's no surprise I suppose that he didn't want to perform at the music therapy concert either.  

It's something to do with the spectacle of it all.  Praise is difficult to receive, we can only clap quietly or give pillow claps (think air claps) when he does well.   We were at a lovely birthday party at the weekend, and as we sang happy birthday to the birthday boy, I knew Anthony would have been hiding away in a corner outside. It's just too much pressure and focus, even when it's for someone else! 

Still for a kid with ASD, Hypermobility, possible ADHD etc etc, he managed to sit, stand and do actions appropriately throughout his 'Sing-Up'. And whilst sometimes like in 'The hope I see in the kind acts of children' I'm overwhelmed by his ability to take part in class assemblies etc, my partner and I were happy enough to giggle at the fact that we'd managed to get a few hours otherwise kid free and off work just to watch our son stand up and sit down 14 times. 

Who knows, with another year of maturity, he might manage a whisper, but only if he can hide at the back and we promise not to say much afterwards. 

Links
Our blog - The hope I see in the kind acts of children (Anthony's class performances)