Daddy ducks a migraine

Like millions of kids across the country, the seven-year-old at our house is hooked on The Disney Channel. She loves "Hannah Montana," "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," "High School Musical" and just about everything else the network serves up in between promos for its other programs.

With my much better half at a business function this evening, it was up to me to entertain the sprout. I generally like to pry her away from the TV and I'd heard about a pretty attractive alternative at Southridge Mall.

Ashley Tisdale, a star of "High School Musical" and a co-star of "Zack and Cody," was performing a free concert in the mall's courtyard and a couple thousand screaming young fans were expected to attend.

I swallowed hard and asked the young one if she wanted to attend. At first, the answer was an unqualified "Yes!"

"It will be my first live concert," she said. "I'll get to see Ashley in person."

I explained that it was going to be crowded and that we might not be able to see or hear very well, but she didn't seem deterred. All we had to do was stop at home briefly to let the dog out and head for the mall.

Once we got home, though, my daughter's interest in the event began to wane. "Dad, I think I'll choose that we stay home," she said.

I explained that this concert was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and she understood completely. "I just don't want to go," she said.

With that, we flipped on the evening news. There were reports, of course, from Southridge, where Tisdale's fans had begun gathering at 9 a.m. Many of them skipped school, with parental permission, in order to reserve good spots.

When the report revealed that Tisdale was going to perform songs from her new solo CD rather than tunes from "High School Musical," the young one felt even better about her decision.

Though I'd certainly have taken her as the dutiful dad, I felt pretty good about it, too.