Stage Presence

Archive for June, 2011

 

Image via Wikipedia

Many parents groan and cringe when they hear that their son or daughter will soon be performing in a school-sponsored play or concert. These events can be long and boring and they are often held in gymnasiums or auditoriums with poor ventilation and uncomfortable seats. Most parents care only for the few brief moments that their own child will be center-stage, belting out ”Tomorrow” or doing a passable imitation of a tree. Having to stay for the whole production is thought of as torturous.

However, parents should understand that they are teaching their kids a valuable lesson in attending these plays and concerts. Not only are they sending the message that the child is worth the time spent, regardless how stuffy or uncomfortable, but they are also teaching kids that other people matter, too. That’s a big lesson for most little ones, and a hard one to learn. More than a few adults seem to have never picked up on it. Learning to work together as a time, cooperate and strive for the greater good is only the external reason behind such school-sponsored events. The fact that Mom and Dad also go, stay through the whole thing and try to keep an open mind speaks volumes to our children and tells them what we really want them to know: they are the most precious things in the world to us, but they are not the only people in the world. The next time your child brings home an invitation to the holiday choral concert or spring play, think about the kind of person you want your child to be.