My niece, M’Dear, sings in the bathroom. She natters along sometimes with half a nod in the direction of a recognizable melody, most times not, but happily, in an unconscious state-of-being kind of way. She did a fine job as Lucy in tonight’s performance. It was the culmination of six weeks of fun at Drama Camp, thanks to the generosity of a long-time family friend. For her devotions I presented her with a Hello Kitty wristwatch.
I had no idea while I’ve been shuttling her to and fro all these weeks that she was in fact the main attraction. Had I known, I probably would have spoiled everything by paying close attention, ensuring she practiced, sitting through each rehearsal. As it is / was, it seems I agree in both theory and practice with the advice a colleague said her mother had given her about child-rearing when it came time to pass the baton: Benign neglect is the best method. I concur. A wonderful time was had by all and I got to grade my own students assignments between trips when I wasn’t hovering in my role as Summer Instamom.
