The Lowest Rung

This is the official sign that I'm at the lowest rung of Stage Motherdom. I'm now the proud owner of a Dream Duffel. This not-so-little gem is the hallmark of a stage mother. It's a duffle bag. It's a costume rack. It's an ice chest. It even has a stool.

I've resisted buying one of these for 9 months, but staring down the barrel of another dance season I knew I had to do something. The reason: Carly has to make a costume AND hair change this competition season. Yep that's right, we've got curly hair one minute and a bun another. And I sort of panicked. I mean, how could I do that with a couple of garment bags and a curling iron? SO- I started watching what other mothers use. This bag caught my attention.

First, I loved that I could use it as a screen for La Nina to change behind. I simply extend the telescoping arms, hang a towel and she's got a little privacy, not that she cares. Then there was the stool. Do you know how many hours I can end up standing back stage waiting for costume changes? It can be HOURS. Now, let's talk about the ability to organize. There are pockets for the shoes (sometimes as many pairs of shoes as costumes), pockets for accessories (no costume is only one piece) and a plastic case for make-up. This is a dance mother's dream.

Alas, the down side is the weight. It's easily 40 lbs empty. I have no problem moving it around empty, I haven't tried to move it once it's filled. But I've seen many a dad hauling these babies to the stage door, where the mom grabs it and takes it the rest of the away.

Of course, it also a sign, I'm finally accepting dance is La Nina's passion and probably will be for some time. She's already talking about next year and it's only going to get more complicated s time passes. Until she's old enough to handle the hair, make up and costumes, I'm her support team and I may as well be comfortable doing it.