Tears of Hoy - Maternal Pride

Who could fail to be moved by Sir Chris Hoy’s mum, Carol, this week as she hid behind her hands and willed her boy on to his 6^th gold medal during London 2012.  The normalcy surrounding a national hero; even he has a mum who worries about him.  Could there be a prouder moment for a parent?  Seeing your son adored by millions and achieve such greatness, yet unable to forget his first tooth or smile?  All that and more was clearly illustrated in those moments of footage.

I was chatting with my own mum this week about how the feelings experienced by a parent can only be understood when you become a parent yourself.  Not sleeping until you’ve heard your first born is home safely despite being 30 years old and living in a different house, wanting the best for them or being unable to watch them race around the Velodrome when they have an MBE!

It must be hard for a parent when a child chooses a hard career and your only choice is to be supportive although every atom of your being is screaming “BECOME AN ACCOUNTAAAAANT!”  Some people are lucky enough to have selfless parents who support you whatever you do, not in a scary Judy Garland’s mother kind of way but that quiet encouragement that acts as a buffer; always there to fall back on.

My family are affectionately referred to as “rent a crowd,” appearing unannounced at various venues around the UK and Europe because they “had a free evening” to watch me in a show.  I pretend to sigh and roll my eyes but there is nothing better than seeing their beaming faces silhouetted in the auditorium.  Something I still miss when certain family members can no longer be there.

The most maternal I get at present is my complete and absolute obsession with my nephew who, in my unbiased opinion, is practically perfect in every way or the feelings I have experienced this week with the 60 children I have taught in a musical theatre summer school.  They are not my flesh and blood and don’t even know my second name, I am just “Dani.....?” who responds to every winge and question!  But they have caused me to lose my rag when not using their full potential and moved me to tears when they do.

I have previously admitted my inability to take my heart off my sleeve or keep my emotions in check, blaming my genetic make-up as an actress.  A new by-product from my luvvie-dom is I now find that I’m unable to detach myself from work; proven on Friday as I silently wept whilst 18 teenagers nailed a performance of Don’t Stop Believin’.  I know!  I hate cheesy musical theatre and I sang all my appreciation away for that song twice daily last Christmas whilst trapped in “the Giant’s kitchen” in panto!  These kids weren’t rivalling the cast of Glee in terms of belting voices but they were all “giving it” to the best of their ability and had listened to “Dani’s” rants about passion, selling every syllable to an empty auditorium.  So this mother hen wept tears of pride!

I read a piece by Sarah Crompton in The Telegraph saying that, in her opinion, family values were the true ethos behind our Olympic games.  Whether it can be scientifically proven or not, you cannot ignore the evidence; Mrs Hoy’s heart in her mouth, thousands of children watching with their parents, athletes leaping over barriers to reach family members or Mr Tweddle talking about re-laying a patio when asked what he’d been doing in the run up to his daughter competing in the gymnastics!

The support-givers count; they are the back bone of any successful offspring and we’d all be nowhere without them. 

And I have to let the summer school brood fly the nest because they’re not mine and their own proud parents are looking forward to watching them perform.  Besides, I’ve got plenty of time to discover the rollercoaster of maternal emotions – like my emotional palette needs any more colour......... why couldn’t I have been an accountant?

Link to Sarah Crompton's article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9459116/London-2012-Olympics-we-should-rejoice-the-family-Games.html