Earlier this week I had the pleasure of being able to attend the cast party for the ReACHE play, The Thread That Runs So True. There were only a handful of other parents there, and I was only there because it wasn't in anyone's best interest for me to just drop off my younger two at Ceramis without my supervision/intervention/separation skills.
As someone who loves to just sit back and watch people, it was such an interesting night for me. The way the event was set up, there was one 'main' table, where most (but not all) of the cast and crew were sitting. Surrounding that table were six smaller tables, where the grown ups and most of the younger cast members were sitting, along with the older kids who weren't dropped off by their parents early enough to get a seat at the main table (like mine).
I had the perfect vantage point to watch those latecomers walk in and quickly assess the situation. You could see the wheels turning as they realized they were going to have to sit at a side table with people they would not necessarily choose to hang out with otherwise. And this was the cool part -- they did it anyway. Without rolling their eyes or complaining. No one was sitting around pouting (not visibly, at least) or ignoring the others at their table. I have been around groups of elementary/middle school/ high school students enough to know that this is not how it usually goes down in situations like this. Kids pout, and bully, and complain. They tend to wreak havoc if they are not continually supervised. They text and talk on the phone and ignore people they aren't BFFs with. Not this group. The evidence that they are being held to a different set of standards was evident. So much for that whole 'homeschoolers lack socialization skills' debate.
If you were one of those (lucky) parents that were able to drop your kid off, and were wondering how they did, rest assured that they did you proud. They were confident and well mannered and self assured. Thanks for all you are doing to train them up in the way they should go. I feel privileged to be walking through this journey with you all.
And now for a few pictures of your amazing kids, courtesy of Kim Lepone (who did a great job of pulling this all together in such a classy way):
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| Yep, these socially awkward kids really need to come out of their shells. |
Posted by: C. Miley
