Molly Humphrey

May 25, 2025

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PLEA FOR COURTESY AND TO BE PRESENT

The K-3 spring concert at Conners Emerson School should have been a lovely night where the hardworking and dedicated music department, along with several staff members, helped our young students shine. Each year, I look forward to seeing my daughter’s excitement, sharing with her brother and me what she’s learned in her music class.

And yet, every year, I am increasingly struck by the behavior from adults. This year, I listened to gossip at regular conversational volume for the entirety of the concert, as well as someone trying to whistle to get their child’s attention so they could get a better photo while their child sang on stage, watching their teacher for direction. Last year, it was someone who allowed their younger child to play video games on their phone with the volume on full blast while I strained my ears to even hear our kids perform.

It is embarrassing to continually see the kindergarten class showing greater attentiveness and respect to their peers than what I have witnessed from many adults. We are supposed to be their models, and their cheerleaders.

What message do we send to our children, to our community, when basic etiquette is outside our purview? It is not enough to show up to our children’s concerts, we need to be present.

Molly Humphrey

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