Awful Plays and Birthday Wishes (NaBloPoMo Day 14)

School plays are supposed to be cute and awkward and are mandatory for any child who is in elementary school. The whole grade gets up on stage and performs, usually about something they’ve been learning about.

Sarah’s 4th-grade class is no different; This year they’ve been studying Virginia history so the play was about Virginia, its land formations, history, and economics. When the music teacher got up on stage before the play to explain this to us, she concluded by saying this play had been written by two teachers down in Richmond.

That should’ve been clue numero uno right there.

Without a doubt, this was the most painful school play I’ve ever had to sit through. The music was awful. The lyrics were awful (“there are five regions in Virigina, there are five, yes they’re five, yo yo five!”), and it was simply…well…awful. You could tell the kids weren’t into it and afterwards, when we were telling Sarah she did well and that it was a good play (yes, there are times when lying is OK to your children), she said “No it wasn’t! It was a boring play!” I thought that was putting a positive spin on it myself.

In other, less awkward news, my son is turning 15 today. I can’t believe I have a 15 year old. I can remember vividly standing over that little bologna loaf in its basket, looking at him in awe, and terrified of what we’d embarked upon. Now it’s fifteen years later, and while he’s not the straight-A, honor roll, scholarships to Harvard already in hand, starting shortstop/quarterback on the varsity team child I’d hoped for, he’s a pretty damn good kid.

Happy Birthday Cody. Can’t believe how lucky I am to have you as a son.