American Idol

 The year was 2004 and American Idol was in its 3rd season. My son, Jon Peter Lewis had made all the audition cuts and had made it to Hollywood! We were so thrilled and excited for him and immediately were descended upon by film crews from the show into our home for a family interview. It was a whirlwind time and little did we know the effects this would have upon our family and friends.

Who doesn't want success, recognition, and fame from such an opportunity? Names like Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and and Ryan Seacrest were now common stars in our conversations, and what their opinions of our son would be. Some of their comments were welcoming and others were defeating. The emotional toll upon me was beginning to have an effect.

From January until May we left work early once a week to travel to the show's recording, appear in the audience on the show, and become involved the American Idol family. It was really fun and exciting to meet other parents, contestants on the show, and the judges. We were able to see what goes on backstage, how the show is filmed, enjoy the commercials that our son was in and totally be immersed in the American Idol culture. Each week, as our son was advanced to another round, the excitement grew and our extended family and friends wanted one of the coveted spots available in the audience. It began to require my time to schedule which family and friends were attending on which weeks as well as after the show time for eating out and visiting. All of a sudden we were semi-famous parents. Complete strangers would stop as at the gas station and claim that they recognized us and were rooting for our son. Of course, we were caught up in  the frenzy of the show, however, it had different outcomes on my husband and I. He loved the opportunity to meet  and shake hands with Simon Cowell, tell his students each week of the experiences our family had on the show. As the months progressed, I began noticing that I was getting tired and a little stressed. By the time our son was eliminated from the show on May 5, 2004, the mixture of emotions were swirling around me. Not only was a not able to recover the sleep I had been lacking, but one day while  driving in the car, noticed some physical  symptoms that were very concerning. My husband immediately drove me to the hospital to have me checked out and after 3 hours of tests, was told by the doctor that I just had the effects of stress. It was so bad that I need to quit work and be on bedrest for several months. This was not any reflection on the show, but just an example of how media can have an effect upon us, depending on our physical makeup and how we process the experience.
Our son still maintained a foot in the door of entertainment and media and went on the produce several music C.D.'s, perform for many venues, and is still involved in the film industry. I am happy for his experiences and opportunities in the media and have learned that I am most definitely content to stay in my corner.