Saturday night, my heart swelled with joy as I experienced something truly magical taking my daughter Ella to see Taylor Swift in concert. This wasn’t just a concert; it was an unforgettable bonding experience that felt like stepping into a fairy tale.
Ella had her sparkly dress – check!
Her cardigan – check!
Friendship bracelets – check check!
I am tearing up as I write this. You may not know this about me – but I love to be spontaneous. Seth tells me that I am the queen of the fun bus. Taylor Swift is here in Toronto 2 hours from my house for six concerts. My daughter Ella is a huge Swiftie! Ella loves Taylor Swift, and she got me into her music too. She has all the music, cardigans, bracelets and more. I asked myself how I was going to let Taylor come close by and not take Ella? I knew I wasn’t going to let that happen!
I wanted to take her to London over the summer to see Taylor in concert. I have always wanted to go to London, and this was an awesome excuse to go. I even got her a passport. However, Ella decided to do an internship at Shakespeare in the Park putting on Twelfth Night with professional actors. Forget London!
I looked at my children’s crazy schedules and wondered when I was going to fit in taking Ella to Taylor. I watched Stub Hub for many many days checking for what tickets I wanted. I put tickets in my cart many times and couldn’t get myself to take the plunge. My husband Seth told me to go for it and I still couldn’t do it.
Saturday November 16th, my daughter Lillie had her last cheer competition in Syracuse. We were in the car by 11 am driving home from Syracuse after a big win. I suggested to Seth and Ella that we had time to go to the Taylor concert that night. They looked at me like I was crazy, but I really meant it. Ella said no way. How would we get there on time? She had homework to do. She wanted time to prepare. I ignored her.
I started thinking about our Thursday, Friday and Saturday night coming up and it felt overwhelming trying to fit it in. This was our free night! Let’s do this.
My amazing husband tried to get us a limo to make our life easier. It was getting late, and I was getting nervous about getting there on time. We bought our tickets at 2:00 PM. The limo couldn’t get to us until 4:00 PM. Seth made the decision to be our limo driver as we had no idea what we were driving into. I’m not going to pay this price for something big and be super late!
Seth had just driven us home from Syracuse and was tired. I hopped in the driver’s seat at 3:00 PM and we were off. No fussing over clothes. No making more friendship bracelets. No sign. No planning. Let’s just go! I also do better when I am driving when I am nervous!
I pulled up close by Rogers Centre at 5:30 PM. I literally jumped out of the driver’s seat at 5:30 at a red light and Seth ran around to the driver’s seat. He found the parking garage (Brookfield Place Garage) and had 6 hours to relax and do whatever he wanted by himself. He is a giant rock star for jumping in the car with us. He saved us so much time! I was also super nervous about the drive home (which was easy). Notes for all of you going: awesome parking garage. Not too close but away from all the chaos. Left around midnight and took us a little over two hours to get home. There was zero traffic at the border. Seth and I split the ride home.
Back to arriving in Toronto: Ella and I jumped out of the car and ran to Rogers Centre. We were off the wall excited and had no idea how long we would be waiting in line. The line for Olivia Rodrigo’s concert was insane when we went to Toronto last March. When we found our gate, we were absolutely stunned that there was NO wait to get in. There were a few people ahead of us. How is this possible? Is this because everyone was already in there? Shocked!
When we arrived at the venue, the energy in the air was electric. Thousands of fans, each dressed in their favorite Taylor-inspired looks, created an atmosphere of unity and excitement. It was a celebration of music, storytelling, and, most importantly, connection. Ella clutched my hand tightly, her eyes wide with wonder. I could have looked at the outfits for hours!
We ran for the bathroom and then ran for merchandise. The merchandise line was three stories up! I asked the lady near us how long she had waited, and she said over an hour. She wasn’t near the front of the line. I was wondering if she had another hour to go. They were already putting unavailable signs up. There was no way we had time to wait in line and there was no way that anything was going to be left when we got to the front of the line. One lady told me she got there super early in the day to get merch. Go early if you want any merch! If I had tickets ahead of time. If I didn’t have a cheer competition to go to. If I hadn’t been coming from Syracuse to Buffalo to Toronto, I would have gone early and enjoyed the day in Toronto. Just being in Toronto with all the Taylor fans was magical.
We decided against merch but decided yes to food. The food line wasn’t bad but all we saw was chicken fingers and fried chicken sandwiches. I wasn’t thrilled with these unhealthy options. I do recommend getting the lavender haze drink. That was amazing!
What I didn’t tell you is that the floor seats were the same price as the rest of the seats. I decided I would try the floor for the first time ever. I don’t know if I want to do that again? I loved being that close but there wasn’t an easy way out and my claustrophobic self felt a little trapped. I tend to be the safety police, and I wasn’t feeling so safe. The security was walking around everywhere, which was great. Trying to leave was hard. It is much easier to leave the building from a regular seat.
We sat down with at least twenty minutes to spare. Gracie Abrams came on at 6:45 PM. She played until almost 7:30 PM. Taylor came on a little before 8:00 PM and she played until 11:20 PM.
To tell you that it was magical is an understatement. There was a moment in time when I looked around while Taylor was singing at all the women and girls dressed in sparkles. I felt this overwhelming wonderful feeling. It felt amazing to just be able to be there with Taylor and all her fans. There were plenty of men there too. There were a lot of husbands there humoring their wives is what I saw. My husband did not have any desire to go. Lillie did ask me to go. I received a lot of questions about Lillie. I want to preface this with – we spent a LOT on two tickets AND
- Lillie doesn’t even like Taylor. She gets annoyed when we play her music.
- Lillie had just gotten home from a cheer competition and was exhausted.
Had the tickets been reasonable I would have had Seth and Lillie come with us for the experience alone!
Looking around at all the women and girls dressed up was pure magic. I LOVED looking at all the outfits. One lady came up to us with a ton of friendship bracelets wearing an amazing outfit that she had made! The trading of friendship bracelets was so awesome. If we had time and had planned this out, we would have made a ton of bracelets. I was not prepared!
The first notes of Taylor’s opening song sent chills down my spine, and Ella’s face lit up like fireworks. She sang every word, danced without a care, and completely lost herself in the music. Watching her pure, unfiltered joy brought tears to my eyes. For a moment, it felt like time stood still. Tears came to my eyes many times that day. I will never forget telling the lady at the border patrol where we were going. I cried!
We stood and sang and danced the entire night. Taylor is so talented! By 11:00 PM I was exhausted and wondering how Taylor was still going strong. I looked over at two little girls standing on chairs dancing. If they can stay up, so can I. I got reenergized and enjoyed the rest of the show. At 11:20 PM, as Karma ended, confetti went everywhere! It was fantastic. The show was beyond fabulous. I know we watched it on Disney plus – but she had a bunch of her new songs too. She needs to release a new concert with her new songs!
Beyond the music, Taylor Swift herself was a marvel to watch. Her voice, her stage presence, her connection with the audience – it was like she was speaking directly to every person in the crowd, including Ella and I. Taylor’s songs have always told stories of self-discovery, resilience, and love, and seeing Ella absorb those messages live felt so powerful.
I just don’t have enough words to talk about this night.
It was spontaneous.
It was a lot of money.
It was worth it.
It was a night I will never forget. I’m sure Ella feels the same way.
It was an amazing bonding experience with my daughter.
I am forever and always grateful that we could provide this to us!
We would pretty much do anything for our kids. Seth and I work so hard, and it was such a privilege to get to spend this money. As my teacher friend said to me: “We can’t take it with us.”
I don’t recommend going into debt for this. If you can afford it – definitely go. You won’t regret it. I am still smiling.
My lessons:
Celebrate What Your Kids Love! When we lean into their interests – whether it’s music, sports, or something else – we’re saying, “I see you, and I care about what matters to you.” That message is priceless. I love that I let Ella get me into Taylor and I love that we can love this together!
Be Present in the Moment! Soak it all in and enjoy it! Take some deep breaths and enjoy and be where your feet are. I did take photos and videos. I didn’t put my phone away. I don’t regret that. I keep watching my videos. I also watched my daughter sing and dance and took it all in. I can take myself right back there.
The Power of Community! The concert wasn’t just a performance – it was an experience shared with thousands of fellow fans. Watching Ella exchange friendship bracelets with strangers taught me how powerful it is to belong to a community, even if it’s built around something as simple as music. Taylor’s community is something special.
Invest in Memories, Not Just Things! Concert tickets aren’t cheap, but as we left the venue that night, I knew it was worth every penny. The memory of Ella’s wide-eyed wonder, her voice singing every lyric, and her hand clutching mine are moments I’ll carry forever. Experiences like this are a reminder that the best things we give our kids aren’t things – they’re shared moments of love and joy.
Spontaneous can be a really good thing! I don’t always have to have everything planned out. Just do it!
There was NO need to freak out – we got there in plenty of time. I need to stop worrying when I don’t know anything. I need to have faith that it will all work out.
I am not in it alone. I have Seth by my side to help me make the stuff happen! He would have helped me with any and all of it. I just need keep myself calm and ask.
Memories are priceless.
Taylor Swift is in amazing shape and is SO talented! How did she do that for 3.2 hours?
It wasn’t just about the music or the spectacle – it was about sharing a once-in-a-lifetime experience with my daughter. It was about being present, soaking in every moment, and creating memories we’ll both cherish forever.
Ella has always been a bright light in my life, and on this night, her light shone even brighter. Taylor Swift’s concert wasn’t just magical because of the music or the glittering production – it was magical because I got to see it all through Ella’s eyes.
To all the moms out there: if you ever have the chance to share something your child loves, do it. You’ll not only witness their joy, but you’ll also strengthen the bond you share in ways you never imagined.
Thank you, Ella, for being the incredible daughter who makes these moments so special. Thank you to my husband Seth and daughter Ella for letting me be my spontaneous fun self. Thank you, Seth for letting me pay for these tickets AND for coming with us. My chivalrous husband who I fell in love with even more this weekend! Thank you, Taylor Swift, for a magical night. A night that we will never forget. Pure magic.
Here’s to many more magical memories—together. 💕
Laughing, Learning, Loving,
Rebecca Greene, LCSW-R
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