LovebirdsFlying
My husband drew this cartoon of me.
Christian Forums Staff
Red Team - Moderator
Supporter
- Aug 13, 2007
- 28,727
- 4,216
- 59
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
I grew up in a musically inclined family, but I was left out of a lot of it. Specifically, although I was often asked to sing at parties and other family gatherings, my brothers were taught to play the guitar, while my sister and I never had lesson one. I don't know if that's a gender-related exclusion or not, but it's only part of the picture. Piano/organ/electronic keyboard is more my instrument, but what I know of it is largely self-taught.
My first marriage was to a professional singer who ridiculed me at every turn, and later admitted he was doing it on purpose. It was an abusive situation, and this is a small part of the reason we didn't stay together.
By "sing," nowadays, I don't mean standing on a stage with an audience. I'm not even asking people to listen to me. I'm talking about singing along with the radio while doing household chores, or making up some silly jingle about one of the cats, and singing it to the cat. Any time I do this, what most commonly happens is that I get two lines into it when someone will suddenly choose that moment to ask me a question or otherwise engage me in conversation. After that, a few minutes of silence pass, I resume singing, and boom, another question. It could keep on like that forever. First husband did it constantly, and eventually admitted he was doing it deliberately to shut me up. Other people who do this, if asked, will swear up and down I have a nice voice, and they are not intentionally trying to get me to stop singing--but then they keep right on doing it. They'll usually let me get through the cat jingles, but singing any other song, no way. Even my present-day husband will do this. It's the same as with anybody else. The car radio is playing, I start singing along, and suddenly there is a question he needs to ask me. Of course I can't just keep singing and ignore him, but I can't sing and answer him at the same time, so I have to stop singing. Never fails. He swears he's not doing it on purpose, but he keeps doing it.
Other methods used by various people over the years:
* Making a "joke" about how bad I am. ("Who's signing this song?" - "That's Michael Jackson." - "Oh. Well, let's keep it that way.") If somebody asks, they will claim they were "just kidding," and I'm not actually bad. Given the entire picture, though, I wonder.
* Howling like a dog.
* Turning on the radio, if I'm not already singing along with it. If I am, changing the station.
* Turning on the TV, or the computer to watch a You-Tube video.
* Starting to sing an entirely different song, more loudly.
The people doing these things will always claim that they are not trying to stop me from singing. Keep in mind, it is always someone who is related to me or otherwise claims to love me. If I complain, I have a negative attitude, I'm self-centered, I can't take a joke, and all kinds of other awful things about me.
After all of this, I'm convinced. I'm horrible. You can't pry another note out of me with a crowbar. Not even the cat jingles. I've sung my last one. If you were in my shoes, would you just stop singing altogether? Would you limit it to times when you are alone? Or am I so bad, even God doesn't want to hear me? (Because if I am alone, the phone will ring or something.) I can't really stay away from everybody all the time, can I?
My first marriage was to a professional singer who ridiculed me at every turn, and later admitted he was doing it on purpose. It was an abusive situation, and this is a small part of the reason we didn't stay together.
By "sing," nowadays, I don't mean standing on a stage with an audience. I'm not even asking people to listen to me. I'm talking about singing along with the radio while doing household chores, or making up some silly jingle about one of the cats, and singing it to the cat. Any time I do this, what most commonly happens is that I get two lines into it when someone will suddenly choose that moment to ask me a question or otherwise engage me in conversation. After that, a few minutes of silence pass, I resume singing, and boom, another question. It could keep on like that forever. First husband did it constantly, and eventually admitted he was doing it deliberately to shut me up. Other people who do this, if asked, will swear up and down I have a nice voice, and they are not intentionally trying to get me to stop singing--but then they keep right on doing it. They'll usually let me get through the cat jingles, but singing any other song, no way. Even my present-day husband will do this. It's the same as with anybody else. The car radio is playing, I start singing along, and suddenly there is a question he needs to ask me. Of course I can't just keep singing and ignore him, but I can't sing and answer him at the same time, so I have to stop singing. Never fails. He swears he's not doing it on purpose, but he keeps doing it.
Other methods used by various people over the years:
* Making a "joke" about how bad I am. ("Who's signing this song?" - "That's Michael Jackson." - "Oh. Well, let's keep it that way.") If somebody asks, they will claim they were "just kidding," and I'm not actually bad. Given the entire picture, though, I wonder.
* Howling like a dog.
* Turning on the radio, if I'm not already singing along with it. If I am, changing the station.
* Turning on the TV, or the computer to watch a You-Tube video.
* Starting to sing an entirely different song, more loudly.
The people doing these things will always claim that they are not trying to stop me from singing. Keep in mind, it is always someone who is related to me or otherwise claims to love me. If I complain, I have a negative attitude, I'm self-centered, I can't take a joke, and all kinds of other awful things about me.
After all of this, I'm convinced. I'm horrible. You can't pry another note out of me with a crowbar. Not even the cat jingles. I've sung my last one. If you were in my shoes, would you just stop singing altogether? Would you limit it to times when you are alone? Or am I so bad, even God doesn't want to hear me? (Because if I am alone, the phone will ring or something.) I can't really stay away from everybody all the time, can I?