Oh, thinking about our younger years

 posted by Melissa Baumgart
I kicked off karaoke month family-style.  Of course my kids were not into the idea when I brought it up during the day.  Tallulah said I was embarrassing.  "But no one will be here, just us."  I rebutted.  "Well, they might be walking by and hear you."  She thoughtfully added.  Levi never wants to do anything I ever suggest, so that was no surprise.  And Lily thought it was weird.

Love the graphics.

After dinner, we set up the Filipino karaoke machine.  It is a microphone that has buttons for selecting your song after you have chosen it from the menu of options in the little book it comes with.  You just plug it into you TV and you have instant karaoke.  Song choices range from Elton John, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Debby Boone, the Kinks, and Gene Autry.  A wide range of choices.

I started out the fun with a moving rendition of "Heaven" by Bryan Adams.  Man, that took me right back to middle school.  I desperately wanted to go see Bryan Adams at the Wheeling Civic Center, but my parents thought I wasn't old enough to go without supervision.  And supervision would have been so un-cool.

Levi grabbed the mic next and did, of course, "Thriller."  He loves to dance like Michael Jackson and I think he does a pretty good job for a 10 year old white boy.  Lily jumped up from her homework to join us, and she always does Beatles tunes.  She scores very high with "Let it Be", so she usually starts there.  Next Tallulah popped over for her favorite song, "Blackbird."

Yes, in the end all three kids were fighting over whose turn was next.  And no one seemed the least bit embarrassed by my singing, only frustrated that they had to wait.  There were lots of smiles and time spent snuggling on the couch while someone else sang.  Lots of "I love you, Mama."

Levi singing "Thriller", I should have video taped it.

Kids are so odd.  Mine never want to participate in "family" things, and then, when they do...they always have a good time.  You'd think they would get it by now, that, hey...my Mom and Dad are pretty cool.

But then again, I wouldn't have been caught dead with my parents at the Bryan Adams concert.  I chose not to even go.  I remember being on a bus going to a football game and hearing the older kids belting out "Summer of '69" and I sunk lower in my seat, feeling sorry for myself that I couldn't go to the upcoming show.  I guess kids just are who they are.  And maybe it's really all part of growing up and becoming an adult.

-Melissa