My Little Cherub

A few weeks ago James got a postcard in the mail inviting him to the first Cherub Choir (ages 3-6) rehearsal of the year at church.  That rehearsal was last Wednesday.

When I went to pick him up from school, he was still on his nap mat, and was quite grumpy about getting up.  He then got upset because he didn't want to miss snack, specifically the cookies that were on the counter.  He said, "When all the mommies and daddies get here, we can have cookies for snack!"  Actually, the cookies were for the mommies and daddies, but for Back to School Night that evening, not for the kids at all.  After much crying and carrying on, I finally got him to the car.  Where there was more crying and carrying on.

"This is going to be great," I thought. 

We made it to church on time, and went inside to find the two super-nice directors and the other children.  James got to pick a smiley face and put his name on it (he asked Mommy to help) as well as a sticker for his attendence.  He told me not to leave (the other mommies left), so I sat behind him.  Well, partway into the first song, he yelled out, "Mommy!" and ran back to me.  Then I sat next to him in the little semi-circle of cherubs.  And I knew the song quite well by the end of rehearsal; meanwhile, he wasn't singing at all.

The children's choirs perform once a month, on Family Sunday (which is the third Sunday of the month).  The way the calendar worked, that meant that the cherubs would be singing in church Sunday after their first rehearsal!  I wasn't sure how that would fly with James, but the two directors assured me, his timidity was completely normal, and that some kids had even cried through their entire first practice(s).

For the rest of the week, I tried to practice the song with James, but any time I started to sing it, he'd tell me to stop.  Okay.

Sunday morning came, and we all got ready for church.  When we got there, we walked downstairs with James, and he marched right into the choir room and didn't even look back at us!  After assurance from the director, Dan and I went back upstairs and found a seat in the church.  We decided to sit more towards the front than usual (we tend to hang in back for the sake of James's behavior/attention).  As Dan said, "If he really does this, I want to see it!"  We also wanted to be sure he could find us.

Well, soon enough a little parade of cherubs made their way into the church, with James in line.  They assembled on the steps at the front of the congregation and started to sing.  James and his big brown eyes didn't actually ever open his mouth, but we were so very proud nonetheless! 

When they finished, he saw us, smiled a BIG smile and came and sat down.  He made it the entire church service (even joining the children sitting at the priest's feet for most of the sermon) and was more well behaved than he's been in church in years.  No joke.  I think it helped that two very cute, friendly, fellow- cherub twin girls were sitting in the pew in front of us.

After church we told him we were SO PROUD of him.  "But I didn't sing," he replied.  We told him that we were proud he got up in front of the whole church anyway.

This week, I failed to remind him of rehearsal Wednesday morning, so I was a bit nervous when I went to pick him up from school.  I didn't want another tantrum.  As I was pulling in, I saw his class on the playground.  Great.  But by the time I'd gone inside and gathered his things, they lined up and came in.  He was at the end of the line and saw me.  "James, do you remember where we're going today?" I asked.

"Let's go to the train playground after music class," he said, grabbing my hand and happily walking out to the car!  Wow!

When we got to church, he marched off to rehearse in the sanctuary with the other cherubs, so I stayed back in the parish hall with the other mommies.  It was lovely.  Afterwards, as the director was handing out copies of the new song to us, she said that he knows it but told her, "I'll sing when I'm four."