Performance!

Saturday Ben told someone that he was planning on crying the next day for the production of Finding Nemo Jr. because it was the last show. True to his word, when Phil dropped him off to prep for the matinee show on Sunday, he was weepy. We received a dispatch from his sister that he was not only crying in the green room, but also got everybody else going, too! Phil surmised that it would run its course and burn itself out like a prairie fire. Sure enough, by curtain time, everybody was ready to go and at their very best. The show was fantastic, as always. But premeditated tears? Oh, Ben. More of a performance than we counted on.

After many years of trial and error with Ben and all the kids I’ve ever taught, I have learned that jumping to conclusions about why people do what they do is often a mistake. Sure, sometimes Ben is just playing you, but often his emotions and motivations are more complex than may initially meet the eye. Perhaps he can’t identify or articulate his feelings. That doesn’t make them less real, but extending him a little latitude and grace may be all that is needed to right the good ship lollipop.

So, what did our little performer want for supper this week? (I was kind of rooting for fish sticks, but…) Taco salad. The packet of taco seasoning I had eschewed last week hung around the kitchen all week, looking forlorn and overlooked. Ben brings home every puppy from the pound, and his heart couldn’t rest until the seasoning packet had been used.