Saturday, November 14, 2009

The Chirstmas Play

When I first saw the script for the X-mas play that my not yet four year old was supposed to act in, I was not at all sure if he would be able to do it. In itself, the lines were not too long- my son, for one, can cheerfully rattle off stories much longer without missing a single work. But the words were new, and a teeny bit complicated, and performing on stage was a new experience.

One evening was all it took to teach my son the lines "An Angel told us a Saviour is born. And I have come to see Baby Jesus." But even after two long rehersals, he hadn't figured out the cues, and was refusing to raise his voice louder than a mumble.

The other Moms were pushing their kids to do enact the lines and to say them with emotion, but that I was reluctant to do. After all, my son was not a puppet who would perform when the right strings were pulled.

Two days before the play, the mothers pushed for one last rehersal. I refused. I was not going to take a day off to ferry my kid to a practice which I knew was not going to have the slightest impact on my son's performance.

On the day of the play, my son lived up to my expectations - he refused to say the lines, and just stood there looking sulky till I took pity on his and wisked him off the stage.

Was I disappointed? Well, I'll be kidding if I say I was not. But I am not as disappointed as I would have been had I expected him to deliver his lines, even if quite hesitantly.

As for the other kids- individually, and collectively, they looked lovely. But I would be exaggerating if I say that any of them performed to their true potential. Exposure is a great thing to have, but is it absolutely necessary to set our kids up for failure?

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to agree! Most four-year-olds hate this kind of exposure... They enjoy it much more when they're older.

Very adorable photo though!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

The best thing about these Christmas plays are the screw-ups from the adorable kids! I look forward to it every year...it's so cute. The moms who want them to be perfect just don't get it.

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder

dipali said...

These pre-school plays work only if you expect the unexpected! I've had my leading lady too sleepy to act at all, someone wanting their mom, and someone else needing to pee at a strategic moment. The goof-ups are too many to mention. But it was still great fun:)

Jan Morrison said...

I remember a Christmas production in the small town I lived in on the west coast of Vancouver Island (logging town -400p.tops). One of the precious darlings was dressed as Little Bo Peep - with one zillion of those frilly petticoats on. She tipped backwards and was stuck there unable to move. Funniest thing I ever saw. Nah, these things are not to be worried over. They are an adult's idea of what is supposed to be good for one. Yikes.

Natasha said...

@ Fiona - some of them enjoyed every moment of it, but only some.

@ Elizabeth - I have to agree. It is the non-rehearsed parts that are most fun.

@ dipali - all that already sounds so familiar. Except the peeing bit, everything else has already happened to me.

@ Jan - that poor darling! I just hope her mother took it in the spirit in which it happened. Any of 'my' mothers, and the kid would have been scarred for life.

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