Children of the World: A Step on Stage, A Step Away from Mommy and Daddy

Yesterday morning J and I attended Diego and Jackson's weekly theatre showcase at their summer camp. Jackson was in a couple of “group stories” – The Enormous Turnip and Stone Soup. He was more than a little aware of his audience, and having his best friend Travis there with him put him over the edge as far as his excitement level was concerned. But that was fine. He did extremely well and was happy the whole time, his eyes wide and constantly darting back to us, to make sure we were paying attention to what he was doing.

And we were. As proud parents, how could we not? It’s an astounding thing to see your child up there “on the stage,” so to speak, because it’s another indication, another reminder that your children do not, ultimately, belong to you. Like all of us, they are children of the world. It’s a jarring moment to see your child up there, in front of an audience, so vulnerable and so potentially impactful.

Diego – often referred to as “the shy one” – was up there too. His group did something called “Yoga Simon Says,” in which they struck yoga poses they had learned. Diego’s face, covered with a beaming smile, betrayed the fun he was having. He also performed, in a dance number, to Willow Smith’s Whip My Hair, a song that is big with the “tween” set and that is, doggone it, I’m just gonna say it, downright catchy.

I shot video of the entire thing on my Blackberry, and was just beside myself with pride in my boy. People make assumptions about Diego because of how shy he appears to be. I know from my own experience, however, that being shy doesn’t necessarily preclude having an interest in performance. There’s something that happens when you get on stage, or on a set, that allows you to step out of yourself and into a whole different mindset.

The thing about Diego’s brand of shyness that is important for me to keep in mind is that it’s backed by high intelligence. He is always watching and always thinking. It will become more and more essential as he gets older to ask him to share what’s on his mind. He won’t always agree to it, but it will be crucial to keep on asking. J often remarks on how similar Diego is to how she was as a child. When she tells me the stories of how she felt, I often wish I could go back and ask her what she was thinking and feeling. That’s often all a quiet, sensitive child needs.