Sesame Street LIVE (Heck yes we still go to shows)

 





It felt like a parenting milestone or a parental rite of passage- we did something solely to see our daughter smile. 
It wasn’t the first time and I know it definitely won’t be the last, but because we thought our little girl might enjoy it, we got tickets (they were free, but still…), we made plans and we attended Sesame Street Live.
The show itself was fine- the cast of Sesame Street- turned super heroes- taught lessons on how to live a healthy life style. The usual suspects were all there, Big Bird, Grover, Oscar and then the ones that I wasn’t familiar with until having a little one of my own - Elmo, Abby, and Zoe. The life-sized monsters, danced and performed musical numbers and of course there were more souvenirs and cotton candy than you could shake a stick at.
The Budweiser Event Center wasn’t that crowded, but it was a seven night stretch of shows, how many Street Heads could there be in Northern Colorado? There were varying stages of sugar high crashes and children struggling to stay civil past bedtimes, but overall the crowd seemed pretty thrilled to be in the same building as their television friends.
As the lights dimmed and the characters came out on stage, I watched the kiddos dance, sing and laugh, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this is how it all begins... What bands will Layla love? And memorize all the lyrics to all the songs? Stand in line for hours to get as close as possible at shows? I guess it’s all a little early to speculate, and I’m sure she’ll go through an array of phases before finding her true musical love- how else can I justify my tween adoration of Paula Abdul and Color Me Bad? When the time comes I’ll try not to judge.
As for two-year-old Layla, she was thoroughly entertained on this evening. She clapped and stomped and twirled in circles. She sat on the edge of her seat, well, because otherwise it would have folded her in half.
And, of course,  she smiled. And that made us smile. And we felt like the good, selfless parents who’s idea of a Friday night out has definitely changed, but not for the worse, just for the different and the new. And it felt nice.