Today I cannot help but wonder … have I lost my mind? The good news is, I realize I am not alone and many parents wonder this on a daily basis. The bad news is, I am still really wondering if I am completely nuts.

Perhaps I should explain.

My six-year-old boy is not a fan of most sports. He is a lover of all things swimming, so we are doing all that we can to channel that energy and keep him in the pool. Of course, like most kids he has other interests — science, inventing, bugs, books, music and Opera.

So being the dutiful mommy that I am, I am seeking out ways to expose him to different things in a ‘non-threatening’ way.

Confession, the last part of that sentence in itself makes me chuckle a bit. I cannot even begin to imagine those words being uttered by anyone other than a shrink in the ‘70s (when I was my son’s age).

But I digress.

Earlier this summer I heard that plans were being made by Oakdale Community Theatre to showcase a production of “Annie.” I loved this show as a kid and thought Andrea McArdle had the best life in the world, not to mention Carol Burnett was an amazing Ms. Hannigan in the movie production.

So, upon hearing the production would take to the Oakdale stage, I messaged a friend to offer to help. This I thought would be a great way to expose Jackson to theatre and all it takes to make a play an actual show. The plan seemed perfect.

While away on vacation my friend left a message that they could really use help with costumes. Hmmm … I thought to myself, sounds interesting.

Side note: all who have worked on a play of any type are probably smiling right now or perhaps having a really good laugh at my ignorance.

When my friend and I spoke, I quickly shared two things, one (and most importantly) I was not sure I was qualified for such a task and second, I do not sew (not even a little).

I feel it also important to point out that this friend is a true ‘artist’ type by every stretch of the imagination.

“It will be fine,” she said. “I’ll help you. We just need someone to help pull this all together. You can totally handle it.”

So … for the love of my son and exposing him in a ‘non-threatening’ way I said, ‘Okay, I’m in.’

The next day, the reality of the scope of such a production quickly set in and my Type A personality amped up. This is a production with a cast of close to 65 people, each requiring minimum of two costumes and, P.S., first dress rehearsal is August 14.

What have I done?

As I shared this information with all who know me, it became laughable. Sucker, crazy, good mom and completely bananas were just a few of the adjectives used by those who know me well.

Then of course there were the words of a dear friend, who after recovering from the shock of the information said, “You know the funny thing … I totally know you will pull this off.”

The thing I’ve always loved about theatre, is that it is like sports in the sense that everyone rallies and does what they can to ‘pull it off.’ No one wants to fail and everyone wants to be there — including me.

The first night, amidst my shock of what the director had shared on his vision for the show, I could not help but be impressed by the group of little girls belting out “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” In a nutshell their voices inspired me.

Look at these kids, I thought, with my little guy at my side. They have this song down. They are committed and they are awesome. I can do this.

As I looked to my son and shared it was time to go, he quickly rejected my request.

‘Can’t we stay for one more song,’ he said.

And that is when it hit me. We do crazy things for love.

Many of the 65 taking to the stage later this month will be doing this ‘crazy’ thing for their love of theatre. I will be doing it for the love of my son and something tells me along the way, I may also learn to do it for the love of theatre as well.

And now for the shameless plug … I encourage all parents, grandparents and anyone in town to get your tickets to see this amazing show. We really do have some crazy talent in this town and it would be a shame for anyone to miss.

“Annie” will open on Friday, Aug. 20-22 and Aug. 27-29, Friday and Saturday performances are at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees performances will be at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children and seniors and are available at the office of the Oakdale Leader.

Teresa Hammond is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. She may be reached at thammond@oakdaleleader.com, calling 847-3021, or visit the Oakdale’s Mommy Musings page on FaceBook and ’like’ the page for networking and updates.