I may have done something dumb

Last night, as I was making a cup of chamomile tea after dinner, our daughter came into the kitchen with bright eyes and her cheeks rounded in an eager, excited smile. She was poised to ask a question, and I could tell by the way she arranged her face and kept pausing before she asked that she was approaching this question very carefully. It was going to be something big and important to her.

“Mom, my friends and I may have found tickets to see Harry Styles on October 31, and I’d have to miss Homecoming but I don’t care, and T’s mom can take us, but it’s going to be really expensive, and can I borrow the money from you and Dad? I’ll pay you back, we can do a payment plan,…”

She’s been tracking Harry Styles’s concerts since he started his tour back up. She and her friends are constantly on the lookout for shows they might be able to go to if they can get tickets, if their parents say yes, if they can get a ride, if someone’s parents can accompany them. For them, seeing him is akin to seeing the Beatles.

“Where’s the concert?”

“New York City.”

Whoa. I was thinking Raleigh, North Carolina or someplace a little less, uh, Big.

Her enthusiasm was infectious, though, and I know how much this would mean to her, how memorable it would be. This is one of those life moments where you have a chance to give someone you love an experience that will last a lifetime.

I couldn’t resist the excitement that vibrated within her. New York City! For her first concert! But, wow, that’s frightening for a parent. We told her it wasn’t a hard No, but there are a lot of things to think through, and obviously I need to talk to T’s mom. She went giddy back to her room, thumbs a blur on her phone keypad, messaging one of her friends she’s trying to arrange this all with.

I looked at my husband and said, “I would love to go to New York and take her to a Harry Styles concert.” What an opportunity! You never forget your first concert, especially if it’s Madison Square Garden and it’s also your first trip to New York and your fandom for the artist is Beatles-level. I want to be there with our daughter for that.

So, I may be going to New York next weekend to take our daughter and her friends to their very first concert. Now the reality of the logistics is setting in: buying tickets, making the long drive there, getting into the city, parking, finding a place to stay. A week and a half from now. It’s all a bit daunting. Until we have the tickets, I won’t even be sure we’re going. But I am game to make it happen.