Grandpa Scott

While filming our video, now dubbed, "Beth & Scott: Live in Concert", I had a really interesting moment. About half way through, I thought, "I'm doing this for my grandchildren." For those of you who don't know me, I'm 44 and a long way from becomming a grandparent, but that thought did happen and it was a beautiful, pure moment for me. Why? Well, there's lots of reasons to do a video, most of which are related to fame and fortune. but it never had crossed my mind to make a video of us for the next generation. It just never occurred to me. So, the thought of "I'm making this for my grandchildren" was by itself unattached to any motivation that I was aware of. It just bubbled up to the surface and surprised the heck out of me while I was busy giving the performance of my life. Weird, huh?

As I think about it, I have to offer up a truth that many of you might find astonishing: our children, Helen (12) and Stephanie (7) would rather do just about anything than hear us sing and play for children. On the surface, at least, they are openly embarrassed by our job - even though they both have clearly benefited from it as budding artists, themselves. I clearly remember them literally crawling under a table to avoid the audience's gaze during our shows. Helen, in particular, has forbid us to mention her name during a performance and Stephanie, a much lighter soul, has recently made it clear that she'd rather stay home than attend a show. It truly perplexes Helen to hear other kids, even some her own age, praisie her parents. Yeah, I'm aware that this is very normal for a 12 year old growing up in the shadow of parents who get a lot of attention. And it may change. I know.

When I was a kid, my parents acted in community theater. Granted, they did so infrequently, but I was thrilled to see them on stage. I rushed to join them when I could. My brother and I were newsboys in a production fo "Gypsy" and we've been acting ever since. My parents loved music. The stereo was always on in our home. My dad was a very funny man and he passed a lot of his humor onto Craig, my brother, and me. I think it's fair to say that I idolized my father as a young boy.I guess that's why it's hard to hear my child say, "I don't want to see you sing." It's painful, even if I understand some of the reasons she feels the way she does.

So, I'm waiting for the next generation in my family to enjoy what Beth and I have accomplished! My grandchildren, I hope, will have an entirely different perspective of us than our kids. I suppose that's the reason why the the thought, "I'm doing this for my grandchildren" came up during filming. It was a moment when I hoped that I'd have a less complicated relationship with my grandchildren about our career than I do with my own kids. Then again, I can picture Helen saying to her kids, "Yeah, it looks like they're having fun up there - but it was horrible for me and Stephanie."