Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Train talk

While coming home from Philadelphia, one of my guys started telling me how he likes to make his friends laugh. He described doing silly things at his table and showed me an example of such silliness, complete with wild arm flailing and googly eyes. He talked with admiration of other students who fall off their chairs on purpose to make people laugh.

My little man. The performer.

So we talked about how much fun it is to make people laugh, smile and feel good. He admitted he liked people watching him do silly things. I told him there were times to be silly - recess, free play - and times to be respectful - like when his poor 25-year-old teacher is trying to teach 20 kids. The idea that my guy is one of the class clowns has me mortified.

But I promised him we would find different places for him to perform. I'm not becoming some frightening stage mother with visions of fame and fortune (o.k. - maybe a Tony award). Just a parent trying to channel a kid's energy. And it's that time of year when you have to find summer camps. I'll hold that over his head.

"You can't go to theater camp unless you behave in school!"

Think that'll work for the next three months?

3 comments:

jodifur said...

I come from a dance and musical theater background and my parents did the same thing. They were so not stage parents. If I didn't do well in school, I didn't get to try out for the show, that's how it worked.

Kate said...

A future oscar winner in the making. Love it! My son is also the class clown in his preschool. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

Anonymous said...

Oooo a theatre camp sounds like so much fun!