For some, attending concerts with your friends is one of the most fun things you can do with your life. And if the concert is of an artist that all attendees love dearly, it makes it even more fun.
Unless some of them have something else occupying their mind and it doesn't let them enjoy the experience. Just like what happened in today's story. Two Swifties went to see the singer live, but one of them couldn't stop thinking about her kid at home.
More info: Reddit
Going to concerts together with friends can be very fun if all people are in the mood for it
Image credits: Kevin Mazur (not the actual photo)
Two Swifties bought tickets to see the artist live and were very excited for the upcoming experience
Image credits: Scott Eisen (not the actual photo)
But during the concert, one of them kept complaining that she felt guilty about leaving her 2-year-old child, who loves Taylor, at home
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Then, when she posted about the concert on social media, she didn't even mention her friend but did mention her child
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
These actions made her friend's concert experience bittersweet, as it was clear that she wasn't the woman's first choice to be there with
Image credits: BionicSophie
So, it's no surprise she went to Reddit to rant about this whole experience online
In the interview with Bored Panda the author revealed that she have been listening to Taylor Swift since 2009, but became a Swiftie in 2012 when album "Red" came out. "I listen to her music daily and I love how she writes lyrics and often when I am feeling some hard feelings her lyrics help me make sense of it."
Ever since she and her friend met, they have been dreaming of seeing the singer live. As probably all of you are aware, Taylor Swift is currently touring with her record-breaking Eras Tour.
This tour not only became the highest-grossing ever, but shattered some other records and sales as well. For instance, it spiked craft shops’ sales when Swifties swarmed them for tools to make friendship bracelets inspired by their idol’s lyrics in “You’re On Your Own, Kid.” Interestingly, in Seattle, fans’ dancing to the “Shake It Off” song caused seismic activity equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake.
The tour was also reported to boost the economy of the cities that it visits. When the singer visited Stockholm, it generated around $81 million in tourism revenue. In Germany, Gelsenkirchen city temporarily was renamed “Swiftkirchen” in honor of Taylor’s shows in the country.
And, of course, it had an unparalleled number of attending fans. The OP and her friend also belong to this number. They even had VIP tickets, so a fun concert experience was nearly guaranteed. Emphasis on “nearly.” There was one thing that kind of shook the whole experience.
The said friend is a married mother of two kids. Her husband is incompetent when it comes to taking care of their children. He is so bad at it, that at one point the woman was almost hospitalized for severe fatigue as she didn’t get any help from him.
At first, she was planning to bring her family on the concert trip. It’s because she didn’t trust her hubby to take care of the kids alone. Then, she changed her plans and left her children and her husband to be babysat by her parents.
Don’t the husband’s actions sound like weaponized incompetence? Like he purposefully does a poor job taking care of the kids, so he doesn’t have to be responsible? Doesn’t seem like a very equal marriage, does it? Well, that’s beside the point of this story.
The OP said that the long-awaited trip went mostly like she expected besides one thing. She expected it to be about her and friend's bonding over Taylor, but it wasn't. Instead, the friend couldn’t stop talking about how she felt guilty about leaving her 2-year-old behind. Apparently, this child adores Taylor, and seeing her alone felt like a betrayal.
The mom even was looking for an extra ticket so she could bring the kid and leave her friend alone in their previously purchased seats. She didn’t go through with this plan and the friends went together. The author described the concert as something very significant for her life: "I will remember it forever and have great memories from it."
Image credits: Liza Summer (not the actual photo)
But on the mom’s social media, you wouldn’t be able to tell that they did. She posted about the concert, but only with a picture of how she gave a merch T-shirt to her kid. No mention of the friend who got her the tickets in the first place. At the same time, the OP mentioned her friend in the post and thanked her for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
No wonder this made the author feel worthless. She was so excited to see the concert with a friend, but this friend wished to be there with someone else. And that someone else was a 2-year-old, who is not only too small for a 4+ hour show but also is on anxiety medication.
This fact seemed weird to quite a few netizens. How is such a small kid already on anxiety meds? Well, there are cases where even 2-year-olds are so anxious, that they need medication. After all, traditional talk therapy isn’t much of a choice at their age.
Besides that, online folks were empathetic both to the OP and her friend. The former’s feelings were justified, as her concert experience was bittered by her friend’s inconsideration. In an interview the author said that after venting on Reddit her feelings towards this whole situation changed. "I understand where she was coming from and it had nothing to do with me personally just the pressure society sets on mothers."
The friend likely was struggling with separation anxiety from her kid. In the update, it was clarified that it was her first time away from the kids without her partner. She simply couldn’t get her brain out of the so-called “mom mode.”
So, the friendship isn’t fully ruined after this experience. Yet, it took a hit. As the OP said, she misses the person her friend was before becoming a mom.
Well, it isn’t uncommon for women to lose themselves after becoming moms. This experience can put them in survival mode or make them put their kids and other family members’ needs before their own. Something like that happened to the author’s friend. She couldn’t stop thinking about how her child would enjoy the concert instead of enjoying it herself.
Let’s just hope that with time, she’ll be able to get herself back. And then, when Taylor goes on another tour, maybe she and her friend will be able to attend another concert together.
People online were empathetic towards her but also understood that the mom friend was struggling with a lost sense of self, which often happens after becoming a mother
