This week Charlotte and I went on our long awaited adventure to the Justin Bieber concert in Birmingham, Alabama.

(A montage of our experience)

Well…long awaited for me since I bought the tickets 6 months ago, but for her it was just a day. Now I come from the boy band era. I grew up on Backstreet Boys, N’sync, and even New Kids On the Block (although surprisingly am not a fan). Concerts for the most part remain the same. Lots of girls, cute singing dancing boys, and lots of dreams.

But as a mom I had a new found respect for concerts and a different point of view.

Here are the

5 Life Lessons I Learned at a Justin Bieber Concert

1) Spend time with your kids.

Case in point- when we first arrived the rows were fairly empty.

The show was about 30 minutes out and the only person even in our row was a young teenage girl. I had assumed that her friends or parents were out getting a soda or buying some of the astronomically priced souvenirs, but as the time wore on I realized she might not have anyone with her. I finally turned to her and asked her if she was alone. She said yes. She had just turned 18 so her parents wouldn’t buy her a ticket (which she agreed that she understood). None of her friends could afford the concert tickets and her mom didn’t want to come with her. I asked if her mom just wasn’t a fan of the music and she said, yes, she likes the music but she didn’t want to come. What a missed moment for that mom. That girl sat there the entire show and while I could tell she enjoyed seeing the show, she wasn’t joyful, she didn’t sing along, and she looked like she felt out of place.

I see my daughter every day, but seeing her and having experiences with her are two different monsters.

The road trip alone allowed us some perfect mother/daughter bonding. We stopped and had lunch, went shopping, and ultimately created a lifelong memory for her. Your kids do not stop being your kids when they turn 18. I am still my fathers daughter at 35 and actually did a road trip with him to a football game a few years ago. It was a blast.

You have to remember to take the time to make the time.

2) All people really are the same.

It’s ironic that we consistently push ‘being ourselves’ and ‘being true’ and ‘expressing individuality’ when ultimately people are the same. I saw little girls with big bows in their hair (BIEBER FEVER!), young teenage girls with ripped tees and ironed on letters ( I did this too when I was young!), and even a massive amount of college aged girls dressed to the nines. Man, that was so me circa 1999 at just about every boy band concert known to man. It was actually relatively comforting to know that with all the changes society seems to make every year, that some things never go away. Falling in love with superstars you will never meet. We all may be different in life experiences, but I saw hope that we could all find common ground and friendship in the end.

3) Believe in yourself.

Do you realize its only been 5 years since Justin Bieber began his journey to fame from a Youtube star to sold out concert arenas?

5 years.

5 years ago I started this blog if that puts it in perspective.  As he stood on stage and told his story and laughed at himself for wearing leather pants, it’s as an adult I really can see how incredible his story is. The rise to the top from pure talent. Whatever it is that you want, whatever it is that you desire, if it’s your passion, BELIEVE in yourself.

Put away the doubt, put away the naysayers, and go for it.  You cannot change yesterday and you cannot change tomorrow, so live in THIS moment.

4) Work harder than everyone else around you.

There are a lot of people that want to be singers. For that matter, there are a lot of people that want to be bloggers. But you have to want it more than any of them to stand out and be the best, brightest, and most successful. When I had first started out online with a boutique where I was making and selling crafts from home, I quickly had copycats. It was frustrating. When I consulted my dad he said something that stuck with me ever since. He said there are a lot of people that can be Walmart, but not everyone can be Macys. The point is that if you want to BE the best, put OUT your best.  For this concert, I saw JB dance harder, sing louder, and move on the stage more than anyone else.

For a young nearly 19 year old, he proved the reason he was a super star was that he worked to be one.

5) Live in the moment.

The one thing that changed from when I was in my teens is the availability of instant gratification, the need to live online, the camera phones, digital cameras, facbooking and tweeting. I totally understand it, its my entire living and I am happy it all exists. All that being said, I saw more people watching the concert through their cameras and phones more than I saw anyone WATCHING the concert with their eyes. I am not talking taking some pictures and some short videos, but going 4 songs in a row just recording.

A concert is an experience.

For that matter, LIFE is an experience.

It’s about feeling the music, soaking up the energy of those around you, it’s about the star being face to face with you and yet I still saw thousands of people with cameras over their heads (blocking views of those behind them and beside them I might add) when ironically all the videos and pictures they could ever want would be on YouTube as it was. I took small 10-15 second snippets and then put it away.

I was happy that Charlotte was at an age where she didn’t have a camera or online availability. She simply watched the show, caught confetti, and waved her hands in the air.  And sadly,  my 5 foot frame 115 pounds had to hold her 4’3″ 60 pound body on my hip for the majority of the time just so she could see over the cameras in the air. We had floor seats and because there are no risers in that situation, it was the only thing I could do to combat the irony of the cell phone usage throughout the show. (sidenote: if you are taking a child, get side seats, not floor seats)

Encourage your young kids to MAKE MEMORIES, not just make videos.

LIVE your life – don’t just watch it through a screen as it happens around you.

~trisha