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For those of you not familiar with the St. Louis area, the Loop is a stretch of town near Washington University that all the media refers to as "hip" and "funky". Let me repeat: Allison is by the drum circle. As in, a big, raised concrete circle where people come to bang drums. Loudly. With maximum reverberation from the surrounding brick buildings. I think that explains a bunch, don't you?

We had our first sign of trouble upon arrival, when Clara Jane became intranced with a group of hacky sack dorks. I thought it was just sweet childhood innocence, a small child entranced by a ball. But then Kara pointed out that if I didn't turn my child away, I was in danger of having to rescue her from a Spin Doctors concert.

That's all I needed to hear. I moved her stroller so she couldn't see them anymore. But that was fine with her, because a singer/guitarist was setting up on the drum circle.

Oh, she is so my chid. She leaned her elbows on the circle, entranced with the musician, shouting "Hooray!" and clapping her little chubby hands after each song. At one point she lifted her shirt; a little too much like her old lady, if you ask me. But that wasn't the worst of it.

Several songs into the set, it happened. My child - who I labored for over 32 hours before undergoing an emergency C-section, followed by an infection that almost landed me in the infectious disease ward ... and did I mention the six months I spent with my tits in a breast pump because she refused to breastfeed? - my child pulled away from the drum circle, raised her arms into the air, swaying as her knees bobbed, completely enraptured in the music.

My child, she is Interpretive Dance Girl™.

I always wondered how I would deal if there was something "different" about my child. I always thought - knew - that I would love her, uniquenesses and all, no matter how socially inacceptable they might be. But this ... this ... a line has been crossed.

I'll try to accept her as she is, even if her future will be spent in a wispy little dress, swaying, arms akimbo, blocking the view of the concert-goers behind her. I'll find a way to cope, and I'll love her nonetheless.

But if she decides to go on tour with the String Cheese Incident, I'm totally going to disown her.