I have discovered that there is one major constant in our week that pretty much sums up how disorganised and ineffective we are as a family – or more precisely that I am as a mother.

This particular “Ground Hog Day” moment happens EVERY Friday morning at almost exactly 8.45am. This is when my youngest son and I are about to walk out of the door. “SHIT” I think to myself. “Where’s his trumpet?”….”oh no, not again….”and so the whole sorry circle starts grinding in to action. This is when I remember that we haven’t even collected it from school on Monday and therefore have done no practice again for the entire week and then I spend a little moment thinking “where has the week gone? How did that happen?”.

“Don’t worry mum” he told me this morning. “I’ve realised something recently – I play the trumpet SO much better when I haven’t practiced at all. Something happens. I’m really getting better and it helps not to have seen anything beforehand, because I play, well…harder”.

Isn’t that great? Lets hope his trumpet teacher agrees. Although, he’s now been playing for 3 years and hasn’t even been invited to take his Grade 1 yet. So probably not.

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10 Comments
  • Reluctant Memsahib
    March 26, 2010

    “Don’t worry mum” he told me this morning. “I’ve realised something recently – I play the trumpet SO much better when I haven’t practiced at all. Something happens. I’m really getting better and it helps not to have seen anything beforehand, because I play, well…harder”. Aw. Sweet boy. x

  • Jon Storey
    March 26, 2010

    As long as he enjoys playing.

    No2 daughter is a natural piano player but refuses point blank to take lessons. Very frustrating but she really enjoys playing.

    No1 daughter plays beautifully but works very hard for it and has recently passed Grade 6.

    The Children’s Mother’s Son is by far the most talented but refuses to play at all and hasn’t done so for 5 years. I have never heard him play!

  • Sarah in Italy
    March 26, 2010

    ” how disorganized and ineffective we are as a family – or more precisely that I am as a mother. ”

    Well come and sit on the naughty bench with me then.

    Those organised and effective mothers scare me silly anyway.

    Bet they all have a picture of themselves, up in the attic, getting ever more disheveled with a deepening “oh bugger ! I forgot again !!” expression on their face.

    It’s voodoo I tell you, only voodoo that makes them better at it than us.

    Or possibly genetics

  • Di Foden
    March 27, 2010

    My Son, the Actor, was immensely talented at all the artistic/musical/dance disciplines, but also worked like a trouper at them, and is still on the West End stage. I felt so sorry for my academic daughter (nobody claps you for being good at Maths)that every time she expressed a slight desire to learn piano/dance/ballet I’d be all over the North West trying to find her a teacher. And she lasted about five minutes at all of them. She had to give up piano because “trying to smile all the time makes my cheeks ache”. And as for my part in organising their schedules? Well, I didn’t do much housework.

    • Family Affairs
      March 27, 2010

      HE”S AN ACTOR?? You’ve never mentioned that before. V. Cool. Love that “makes my cheeks ache” comment. How funny. Lx

      • Di Foden
        March 27, 2010

        He’s in Billy Elliot, playing Mr Braithwaite at the moment. Every time I go to see him, I have to be tied to the seat to stop me telling a six-row radius “That’s my boy”. When I took my mum to see him in things, she did it anyway.

  • muummmmeeeeee......
    March 27, 2010

    That’s exactly why we went for learning the drums and piano…unlikely to forget where we put those instruments!

    Sadly though, practice books and drumsticks are liberally scattered all over the South East…

  • cheap airforceoneshoes
    April 30, 2010

    Most people would agree with this, in my opinion the author could not be more right.

  • Im sorry, I just read the comment above and it truley made me laugh…lol.