Blackpink fever descended on Singapore on the weekend of 13-14 May. Luckily I made a mental note on the date and avoided the huge crowds of Blinks at Singapore Indoor Stadium+Sports Hub+Kallang Wave Mall+Stadium MRT+anywhere within 5km radius. (hmm actually why the fans call themselves Blinks? can be Blanks also what...🙊)
Anyway, as a non-Blink/Blank, other than the buzz over their arrival since their last concert in Singapore was in 2019, what caught my attention were the many 'reflection articles' post concert and thousands of comments. One example 👇
So apparently, using cell phones to record live concerts is a common practice nowadays based on the comments and counter articles that came later on. So what irked the concertgoers was not whether you should be recording, but how high you should be lifting your cell phone to video such that it will not block those standing behind you. And then, you have those who simply want to prove he/she is the most irritating BIGGEST FAN.
So many phones were lifted high to video the concert for such a loooooong time that one of the singers have to tell the concertgoers to put down their phone for the final act to simply .... enjoy the live concert. I wonder if this is the first time she said this in any of their concerts 🤔
For the whole night, the singers were probably seeing this image until buay tahan already. "You all pay money to come enjoy the concert or come take video of the concert???!!!"
This reminded me of a practice that we tried our best to live out during our kids' early childhood years.
There will be a time in your parenting journey when kids start going to nurseries/ kindergartens and there will be this phenomenon called the YEAR END CONCERT. Some centres have more than one concert a year 😱😱😱. So this is where the graduating cohort will be presented with their certificates and have their performances to showcase what they have learnt over the years. The younger batches will also take turns to have their stage time.
I have seen my fair share of overly excited parents who who will whip out their phones the moment their kids appear. Despite the centre making repeated reminders to parents that the entire concert will be recorded and the video made available, many parents still ignored this and also ignored the rest of us who remained seated and want to enjoy the concert. So for the duration their kids are on stage, this is what the kids saw... (pardon my sub-standard drawing)
I believe memories are important (can write an entire series of blogposts on this topic) but to 'keep' these memories, are we losing more important moments?
I am as excited when my kids appear and I know they will be looking out for us among the waves of parents and phones. This is when I maintain eye contact with my kids. When they walk in, when they stand on the stage, when they perform, when they get off the stage. Each time they look for us, my eyes will be on them. Telling them-
We are here for you
We are proud of you
We are thankful for your growth
Let's get this over and done with and have a good celebratory meal
We tried our best NOT to use our phones and simply... BE PRESENT to enjoy the moment with them. And take lots of photos after that 😂
So what is important?
To spend all efforts to record a sub standard blurry video to keep as memory (which you will probably not rewatch that often)
OR
Simply be present to let your kids know they are important enough for you to give them your undivided attention at that moment.
One day, you will need them to understand to be present with you at the moment, and not be engrossed over their phones. And it starts from little acts like these.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:4