A few days ago,
Maggie told me that all the girls in her class were going to see the Bridget
Mendler concert at the Town Center and she wanted me to get her a ticket. She said they were unsure of how they
were getting there. Now, I really do love the Disney show, Good Luck Charlie, and Bridget who is one of the main characters but you can
imagine my thought process through this conversation. I dutifully checked online and couldn’t find out about
tickets. I finally called Barnes
and Noble and they said it was a free concert. My mind starting visualizing the Town Center filled with
hordes of screaming little girls. I
much rather buy a ticket with a guaranteed seat of some sort.
We started the day at the
Bolles School watching Annie swim in the ice-cold wind. By the time I got home, I was praying
to the Lord that Maggie wouldn’t mention the concert. She bounded in the door, asking me if we were still going to
the concert. I almost cried but
squeaked out an “Of Course!” with a plastered fake smile on my face. I felt kind of ill when I thought about
the concert and promptly climbed into bed and took a power nap. When I was waking up, I was secretly
hoping it was Sunday morning and it was all a bad dream.
I really do try to give
Maggie special moments because I fear the “middle child” syndrome of feeling
shafted by your siblings. I
drug myself out of bed, got dressed and we headed out in the cold. I was still chilled to the bone from
the swim meet so I put on 3 layers of clothes, boots, scarf, gloves and
hat. I did not want to be
cold again. I knew we were in trouble
when the traffic was stopped and not moving at all to turn into the Town
Center. I took over 20 minutes to
find a parking place. I was
appalled at the lady who zipped around my truck and swiped my parking
place. It was pure insanity. I severely underestimated desperate parents trying to get their kid to the concert.
We started walking up from
behind the stage and I thought it would be no big deal to slip through the
crowd to get on the front side of the stage. I WAS WRONG! I should have turned back after the first
incident with the lady in the wheel chair. I was feeling sorry for her until our altercation. Maggie and I were edging past her and
with crazy eyes, she said really loud, “I’m getting ready to light one up!” I wasn’t totally sure what she was
talking about until out comes the cigarette in the middle of a mob. I swear she burned my jacket. Some kid bumped into her foot which was
apparently broken and the F bombs started flying. Why the lady felt she needed to position herself in the
middle of a concert crowd, I will never know. I never thought Maggie would learn the F word at a Disney concert.
Then the fun really
started. Maggie and I got crushed
against a wall when a desperate lady with a double stroller came plowing through
the crowd, unconcerned of our feet.
Maggie yelled out in pain and I was trying to be sympathetic realizing I
have probably done the same thing with the multiple double strollers that I
have wheeled through crowds in a parenting daze.
What happened next, I would
have never thought I would experience at a Disney concert. A frightening looking woman with a
partially shaved heads and piercings, holding a kid started yelling for people
to move and to %$#)$% go the other way.
She started flailing her arm and shoving people in front of her and
apparently ticked off a man coming the opposite direction. He started shoving her, yelling at her that she hit his wife and a fist a
cuff ensued. Everyone started
screaming, babies were wailing and parents were frantic to get their small
children away from the brawl and prolific cussing that was flowing like
water. I started feeling like I
was going to pass out and had to ask a strange man to help me take my jacket
off before I blacked out in the psycho crush of people, leaving Maggie alone. I was regretting my 3
layers of clothes and started pulling off my scarf and gloves and stood tall on my tiptoes, trying to get air. I put myself between Maggie and the crazy lady and hoped I
could take any blow that came my way and not Maggie. I was very scared myself and felt terrible for the stricken
children who were so traumatized. It
seemed like we were there forever but finally got to an open place in front of a store. I held
Maggie while she cried and told her she was going to be OK.
Just then, a school friend and parents
came up and she instantly recovered and ended up having a fun time. I was never so thankful to run into someone! I was a little shell shocked and stood
there trying to process what just happened. I have been to many a rock concert in my life and can’t
remember ever having an encounter like this one. I think the problem was that half of these people in the
crowd were just trying to get away from the concert and had no idea it was
going on. Had I been in my right mind, I would have totally videoed and taken pictures for proper blog documentation but I guess saving my child's life took precedents, I am happy to say!
Maggie finally said she was
ready to go 5 minutes before it ended and we zipped right out. I tried to end
the night on a high note, and got her a Peppermint milkshake from
Chickfilia! Chickfila seems to
make everything better! I was
prepared for screaming little girls but certainly not adults screaming
profanity and being terrible examples for all the many children observing their antics. Maggie
and I sang a little song on the way home, “We are never, ever, ever, going back
to a concert!” Well, unless it was
Taylor Swift and we had a seat!! I know for sure I got many stones in my parenting crown in heaven after today! My mom was trying to encourage me before I left for the concert, saying that Maggie would always remember this night and boy was she right!
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