Play Practice for Mama and Me
On Monday night I met a lady who teaches Pre-K in a nearby school district. The teachers here in Tennessee are frustrated with new state regulations, so I asked her how she was feeling about all that. She described the same feelings of other teachers I know. She told me about how the three year olds in her class were expected to be part of a group and know what their role was in their group. I thought, “What??!!” Her feelings were similar to mine. She wondered why state officials don’t realize that these kids have just left their mamas.
I was sad to think of these children leaving their mamas at just three years old. Another blessing of the Homeschool Dramatic Society is the opportunity for mamas and children to be together and work together.
HDS productions spend only two weeks in practice. Families receive their scripts and a CD of songs well in advance, and cast members are expected to know their parts the first day of practice. The first acting coaches the children have are their own mamas and daddies.
Because drama center rental fees are rather expensive, for the first week we practice in a church auditorium that has movable seating. Â Yesterday we completed day three of that first week at the church building. Imagine the scene. While the cast uses the front 1/4 of the large square room for a “stage,” the back 3/4 is filled with cushioned chairs which are filled with mamas and children and teenagers not in the scene being rehearsed and with toddlers and nursing babies and baby dolls and Legos and coloring books and . . . well, you get the idea. Popular among the older girls this year are crochet hooks, knitting needles, and yarn. Â Many yarn projects are moving right along between scenes.
his own mother very close by.
So, how does a play come together in a setting like this? It’s a beautiful thing to watch. Each year it seems there is a certain point when something beautiful happens on stage and I get misty. It happened three times yesterday! It’s coming together just fine!
Children under the safe watch of their very own mothers–that’s God’s design and it works for that very reason.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
Psalm 131:2
Thank you, Charlene. Although we are not involved in any kind of play practice, these words minister to my mama’s heart this morning as I am feeling behind and like I am failing with school ….the house….. Christmas …. the list goes on. But, the bottom line is that God fills those holes that I cannot. And I am doing what I am supposed to be doing……”Children under the safe watch of their very own mothers–that’s God’s design and it works for that very reason.”
thank you for your constant encouragement!
It absolutely galls me the way government thinks LITTLE children belong in school, adhering to strict rules and schedules and arbitrary educational standards. That’s one of the biggest blessings of homeschooling – having those precious young ‘uns with their Mamas, right where they belong. Sounds like the play is coming along super! 🙂
I love your blog, but this week I love it even more! It is so much fun to read about the play from your unique perspective. All week I have looked forward to each new post with more anticipation than usual. Today’s post has been my favorite (so far). I love the way you put it – mamas and daddies being their children’s first acting coaches … and “Children under the safe watch of their very own mothers – that’s God’s design and it works for that very reason.” Perfect. Today as I read this post on my phone, sitting out there in those cushioned chairs, my toddler and 8 year old playing on either side of me, my older daughter a few rows back with her friends – all of them knitting and crocheting – I got very misty. 🙂 Thank you, Charlene, and Mev, for all you do for our families.