Last night after the kids ate dinner I put them in the new minivan and drove us about 6 or 7 miles to one of the bigger parks in the area to let them burn off some energy before bed.
On the way there I was scrolling through some of the Sirius XM channels (the dealership throws in for free for a couple months) and landed on LOVE, channel 70.
Instant nostalgia swept over me. I used to have the channel as one of my presets in my Saturn during the mid-2000s.
The level of nostalgia quadrupled when I saw the song on display screen…Bette Midler, From A Distance.
My sister and her friend used to do little talent shows to the song in the basement when we were in elementary school.
As a result, the song has become staunched in my memory…And it was just getting started.
I turned the volume up extremely loud and started screaming out the lyrics, doing all sorts of exaggerated singing movements with my hands and shoulders. I was in constant motion, half-turning back toward the kids during the crescendos, while lifting my chin and jaw higher and higher.
The kids surprised me by yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs for me to stop. Some of the loudest screaming I’ve ever heard from them in my life, but I decided I wasn’t going to let it phase me.
I turned it up louder and started screaming the lyrics and committed to not letting their noises bother me until the song ended.
When it finally did I was exhausted.
I turned off the radio.
The kids simmered down.
My throat was hurting.
After a few seconds of silence I turned around and said “What’s the matter Harrison, you don’t like daddy’s singing?”
He stammered around with his words for a few seconds and said “Daddy, when you sing so loud Mara and I can’t talk to you.”
This morning I was telling Tabitha that exact story while Mara and Harrison were eating breakfast. Afterwards I turned to Harrison and said “Harry, do you like daddy’s singing?”
He said, “Yeah, I do like Daddy’s singing, but not in the car when I want to talk to you.”
Tabitha said “Oh okay, do you like Mommy’s singing?”
Harrison stands up out of his chair and sort of walks around aimlessly half grinning and shaking his head from side to side without saying anything.
She asked again, a little more firm, “Harrison. Do you like my singing?”
He said “Well, everybody is a good singer, mommy…”
Instant classic. She got mad and walked away. I couldn’t stop laughing.
Maybe he’s just never heard her sing any Bette Midler songs.
