Natty attends a mainstream primary school and last week Daddy Downs Side Up, Mia and I proudly watched her and her classmates perform in their second ever Christmas play.
Last year it was the traditional Nativity story, this year a jazzed up modern tale which included fish and penguins. Both were equally magical.
 |
| At least she wasn't rude to her fellow thespians like last year! |
We rushed around to feed the girls after school, get them changed and returned for 5.30pm, all warmly wrapped against the chill of the dark December evening. We found a space to sit and chatted to other excited parents as we waited for the actors to ready themselves.
As the action began to unfold, we sat and craned our necks to see a glimpse of our daughter past the heads of the other parents, all doing the same of course. Mia snuck down to the front of the hall and sat cross-legged, inches from her little sister. Once these optimum positions were found, all three of us didn't let Natty out of our sight for one moment, eager to catch every second of her festive role.
Well, the performance comprised some very nice singing, Natty joined in and all the words. There was dancing around the stage, waving wands and she knew exactly what she was doing and where to stand, interacting with her classmates perfectly. She stayed where she should during the times when her group was not under the spotlight. Most of all, she was really enjoying herself.
There was also:
a little bit of nose picking,
a small amount of fidgeting,
a stand up and wave at Mummy
a poke of her neighbour in the back with her wand
a couple of verses where she sat and yawned instead
"Oh dear," I thought.
And then I looked at her peers, all 30 or so of them, and I noticed these behaviours were, of course typical for any only-just-six year old. Mia had done exactly the same back in her day too.
And so, our Christmas play experience was much the same as yours I should expect, and that of your neighbour's children, your cousins and your neices.
Each and every one a Christmas Star.
