The Premier Primary Program

Sunday was the big show. The main event. The beginning.

It was Peter's first Primary program.

He's really progressed over the last year in terms of public speaking. Based on all of his Primary orations, I was both excited and nervous for him to deliver his one line in the program on Sunday. I was hoping to get to church early so that we could sit in the front of the chapel. I wanted to be able to see Peter as he sang the songs from his seat on the stand as well as see him when he stood at the microphone.

Plans are funny things, aren't they?

Thirty minutes before church was to start Peter announced he was done eating lunch. I was relieved because I could feel our prep time slipping away. I asked Peter to go use the bathroom so he could get dressed for church.

Cue hysterics.

Peter went from calm, happy boy to thrashing, foaming, crazy in about two minutes. It was not pretty. He kept screaming that he wasn't done eating, wasn't going to church today, wouldn't be in the Primary program. I had to literally sit on him to get him dressed, and even then he kicked me off a few times. I had not budgeted enough time for such shenanigans and we finally wrestled him into his booster seat one minute before church was to begin.

Luckily we live about one minute from the church. We walked in as the Bishop was welcoming everyone. We were there before the opening song. That would usually be a win for us, but remember, we wanted to sit up front. So we stood in the doorway scoping out the pews. We actually walked up both aisles only to find scriptures and purses holding places in the rows we thought were vacant. Our ward is huge and we finally found seats in the cultural hall. So much for seeing Peter during the program.

By the time we sat down, the man of the hour had stopped sobbing (something that he had continued to do during our drive over) and was sitting on Bryan's lap looking sullen and puffy-eyed. I had been praying that he would be able to calm down and now started to pray that he would cheer up so that when the time came he would be willing to say his line.

At the conclusion of the Sacrament I watched as the other Primary children and their teachers rose from their seats and headed up to the front. Thankfully Peter's sweet Sunbeam teacher walked near to where we were sitting. We pointed her out to Peter and coaxed him to follow her to the stand. To my great relief, he did.

Bryan and I spent the next forty minutes with necks strained at odd angles in order to see Peter. Cooper even stood on Bryan's lap so he could catch a glimpse of big brother. Later, during a quiet moment in the program, we realized the folly of this choice when we saw Peter point in our direction and clearly heard him say, "I see Cooper!"

I had been at the rehearsal the Primary had held on Friday night, so I recognized Peter's cue line when it came. I grabbed Bryan's arm and mouthed that this was it. We watched Peter, his classmate Carly, and their teacher walk to the microphone. Peter climbed up, paused briefly to take in the somewhat overwhelming sight of a packed house, and delivered his line loudly into the mic, "Fathers are to preside over, provide for, and protect the family with love." He didn't need to be prompted. He had it memorized.

My sigh of relief was audible. And I think my grin may have been visible from space.

He did a great job for the whole program. I was amazed that most of the kids knew all the songs. The majority of the musical numbers in past Primary programs I've seen consist of all the teachers singing loudly and many of the children either waving to their parents, trying to run off the stand, or looking out at the congregation with a glazed expression. Not this Primary. They knew their stuff. And they sounded good. Peter sang out nice and loud and clearly knew the words. He even danced a little.

I think our first foray into Primary programs was a smashing success, in my own wonderfully unbiased opinion.