Proud parent moment

Nat performed with her drama class in their final show of the year: Peter Pan and the Mermaid's Treasure. She had the part of Wendy (essentially the narrator, with some minor dialogue). When she was cast in the role of Wendy, she wasn't super pleased. She was hoping for Tinkerbell, or one of the mermaids - something that involved wings, or a shimmery costume. When she didn't get the part she was expecting, we talked about how maybe her teacher felt this was a role she was more suited for, and we talked about giving it your best no matter what.

The kids were challenged a bit on this play because they received their lines really late this time around. Fortunately there's a part of N. that can repeat almost verbatim anything she's heard more than once or twice, and she had her lines, and those of many of her castmates, down pretty quickly. She spoke with inflection, and responded to the dialogue going on around her. She definitely gave it her all.

When showtime came, she was ready. What I didn't realize beforehand was how much she was responsible for on stage, aside from her lines. She knew who needed props when, and when things needed to be moved. If a kid needed prompting or forgot their line, she quietly encouraged them. The next day I still found myself thinking back to how proud I was of her as I watched her up there. She showed maturity, confidence, leadership, and a genuine interest in bringing out the best in others in a way that was humble, not arrogant. I was beaming.

Today was the last class for the kids, and they had their cast party. Their teacher awarded all the kids individually for the work that they've done, and N. received a silver Atlas Award. She said their teacher told them how Atlas carries the world on his shoulders, and that the award is for that person who demonstrated that ability. I thought that was pretty cool. I'm still beaming. We've got a pretty great kid.