In case you missed all of the hype, Seattle locals Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were shooting their newest music video for their song, “White Walls,” on Capitol Hill last night. In an attempt to avoid the sink full of dishes that was calling my name and our increasingly hot and humid house, I thought we’d head up to the Hill to check it out and hopefully catch a little glimpse of our favorite Seattle superstars.
With another mama friend by my side and my three brave kiddos (ages 8, 5, and 3), we spent nearly four hours in deep on Broadway with Macklemore’s Shark Face Gang.
Needless to say, I learned a few tips that I thought might be valuable for other parents taking their kids to a celebrity-infused live event or adult music conert.
1. Don’t think. Just go. After all, there was a time in your own young life when your parents braved taking you to a Naughty by Nature concert without complaint. You owe the parenting universe. Big time.
2. This is a baby-carrier moment. Leave the stroller at home. Hipsters are super friendly when you are carrying a smiling little guy in your arms, but they can turn on you quickly once you run over their “vintage” Converse with a $600 jogging stroller.
3. Before you go, quickly think of a way to explain to your children what cigarettes are, why people are smoking them and why they can’t have one. It will save you from a blubbering explanation on the fly when they’re unabashedly, and loudly, asking what that guy over there is doing and why it stinks so much.
4. Let’s talk about pot. There’s going to be a lot of it and you might get a little high, just by standing there. Grab some of those mini battery-powered, hand-held fans for your kids and tell them to go to town. Be a good mom and inhale deeply to make sure you get all of the secondhand smoke, not them.
5. If the crowd is getting a little too close for comfort, let your 3-year old son handle things. He’s an expert at pushing anyway, and nobody is going to throw down with a toddler.
6. In case this is your first music video shoot or other live celebrity event, you might not realize that this is where the phrase “hurry up and wait” was invented. In case this is your first time taking your kids in public, you’ll also realize that kids don’t know how to wait, even for their favorite rapper. Charge every iDevice you have before you leave and put them to work. This is what technology was made for, parents.
7. Leave your OCD tendencies at home. Your son is going to pick up that used napkin on the ground. Your daughters are going to sit on the filthy ground. This is not a place to worry about little things like keeping your hands to yourself. Spray everyone down with Lysol before you put them in bed and call it good.
8. Make friends with your neighbors. There is nobody who will better protect your kids from the potentially wild crowd than that guy with tattoos and a pink shirt standing next to you. Be kind to him and tell him thank you for helping.
9. There is going to be a moment when you think you should just go home. That this is crazy and that someone is sure to call CPS on you at any moment. But remember that your kids are growing up in a world where they experience life through YouTube and online content, more than they do through real-life experiences. You can always have them take a nap tomorrow, or skip swim lessons. They’re never going to forget this, and it’s worth it.
Totally worth it.
