Friday 11 October 2013

Drama, Drama, Drama!

Everyone loves a critic! Especially my son he usually is the critic. In 'Bob's quest to find out what he is going to do with his life he has decided to have a Plan B! OMGosh! Head in hands, shake head from side to side. Well he's gone from one extreme to another I can tell you.  Plan A was to be a super Engineer, fantastic pilot, leader of his own country and Master Lego Builder! Now Plan B is to say the least confusing for me because our 'Bob' doesn't generally gravitate towards the limelight by choice, it might unintentionally happen when he is trying to ram me with the shopping trolley in front of a crowd of happy shoppers!  So when he announced in the car that he wanted to be an Actor, yes ACTOR! The choice words were 'gobbed-smacked' and 'Well I never... .’  

We had tried a drama group without much success when 'Bob' was about eight years old.  It didn't last long 'Bob' was scaring the other children by running round in the opposite way and screaming in their faces. The sweet natured Drama Teacher was really polite but after telling me the second time how the other children didn't like coming because he was scaring the living daylights out of them it sort of put me off.  I didn't want to get to the stage where we were the ones asked to leave.  It was still incredibly raw having a child with autism, and my thick skin wasn't quite thick enough.  

'Bob' informs me he's doing this because I said that he needed to do other stuff!  The fact I said that months ago has nothing to do with it but we will go with it. I know it takes some time to process information but bloomin 'eck 'Bob' that's ridiculous!  I still worry about sending him off into the unknown, his behaviour can be so unpredictable (that's the ADHD) and he can appear to be such a Muppet sometimes (I can say that! I'm his Mum!).  Generally it can be OK until he opens his mouth and says something completely irrelevant or odd, then everyone identifies that this one is going to be tricky!  So very carefully I pick out a drama group.  Well actually I'm slightly biased because it's the local performing arts academy and I go there once a week for my 'get away from it' hour of self indulgent adult musical theatre singing class! I know the teachers, the layout, some of the children who attend and it's a really great family spirit.  Hey they've put up with me for nearly a year!  The only prerequisite was that he didn't want to do any singing like me. In his own words "I don't want to do that cat’s chorus!" Thanks Son, love you too!

Well we've managed two weeks and all is OK with the drama world. Fingers crossed! I really never ever thought we would embrace the world of 'Luvees' and 'Darhlings'.  I loved performing when I was a kid and I so wanted one of my children to follow in my footsteps and beyond.  Our 'Lil' didn't show any signs of that side of the camera preferring to be on the other side and creative in the fashion world.  It didn't even occur to me to give 'Bob' the mantel and resided that it would have to be shelved until the teeny tiny patter of grandchildren's feet!  There is hope yet... I can see it now "To be or not to be, that is the question?" "Well actually that IS the question...to be or not to be what?" Could you imagine how long Macbeth would take!






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