Photo by thecobrasnake
My daughter begged and begged for the opportunity to see one of her favourite indie bands. Of course, with a name like that, I certainly had never heard of them, nor had I heard their music...except for when she hijacks the car stereo... Colour me unimpressed with all of this modern rock and roll music. Hmph.... While I can clearly see through the consumerist aspects of the music and marketing machines, sometimes you need to just turn your head and let your kid be a kid.
Well, she's a good kid--one of the brightest in her class, and she made an A on her recent pre-Algebra test. I'm a big believer in giving your kids freedom--something my parents never did. Who knows what I could have been if some one had believed in me and gave me some room to grow and make a few mistakes. Let's be honest... I don't want to be the bad guy in my kids' lives'. I want them to feel love, and I want them to experience life and love and art and beauty. I want them to live rich, meaningful lives', which is why it is important to let them cherish music.
The truth is, I am very protective of my 2 sons and particularly my daughter. It's been so hard to watch them grow up. I live in constant fear--a dark fear that they will make the wrong decisions, spiraling into a less than mediocre life filled with drugs, unprotected sex, and jobs in the service industry.
Photo via our driveway
Anyways... we drove to the venue. Lemme tell ya... Don't forget to bring cash for parking... They'll think of any way to make money off you these days. Before the show, I took my daughter to the merchandise stand so that she could pick out a t-shirt. She had a really hard time, since the designs were so intricate. I think she picked a good one, though...nothing too loud.
The band started playing, and it was actually invigorating. It reminded me of when I was young, but as you know, trends are much, much different these days. Everything was going great, but then I looked to my left and my daughter wasn't there. I looked to my right, and I just saw some greasy tween boy with deep acne scars. I looked behind me. I saw my daughter floating over a crowd of hands, being groped and manhandled in every which way by hundreds of sweaty palms.
This was truly the darkest moment I had ever experienced as a father. The only thing darker would probably be 'getting a lap dance' from my daughter at a 'titty bar.' Perhaps I should not have let her attend this concert. Perhaps I should have just dropped her off. It hurt to see my angel fade away, looking both uncomfortable and pleasured as men and boys touched her in her 'nether-regions.'
My daughter had vanished into the sea of tweenage hands. I let her go. I accepted that she was no longer my little baby girl. She had grown up, and it was time to let her spread her wings to become a beautiful alternative butterfly. She would find happiness in life, and my metaphorical teet would no longer quench her thirst for a fulfilling life.
She was gone, but in the distance I saw another teen girl moving towards me, as if the Lord's hands were bringing her to me. I realized I was at a rock indie concert. I realized I needed to have fun and be myself. The girl floated closer and closer to me. Eventually, she was held up by nothing but my arms.
I moved my and groped her, feeling her all around, exploiting the situation even though I was 20 years above the average crowd age. The truth is, I never experienced 17 year old sex when I was 16-19.
For the first time in years, I felt young again. People looked at me like I was a predator, or a sicko--but if only they knew what it was like to grow old. If only they knew these were the best days of their young lives'. If only they knew...
I am glad I let my daughter have her freedom, but more importantly, I got my own freedom back. I never saw my daughter again, but I know that somewhere, she is happy because she chose her own life. Enabling your children to make their own decisions relieves the pressure on you. Let them make their own mistakes. Let them live.
Has ur mom/dad ever escorted u to a concert/show that u wanted 2 attend?
Did the experience bring u closer together, or was it 'hella ghey' since u couldn't be urself?
Do ur parents think that ur just a 'trendhopping fggt'?
What kind of car do ur parents drive? [link2funnie_post]
Previous Crowd Surfing Coverage
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2008/05/crowd-surf-gang-bang.html
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2008/10/grabfest-2k8.html