Mass Confusion

Yesterday, my children, my husband and I spent the day at the theater.

What was planned was that they would run through the play without costumes or makeup one time; then they would run through it as a full dress-rehearsal.

The practice started at 2pm. The play lasts about 2 1/2 hours.

Two full rehearsals? With modifications in between? This sounded like an incredibly long time.

I was in theater in high school, but as a parent, well ..... I didn't know what to expect.

But here's what happened: They stuffed the kids in the basement (that is incredibly tiny for 30+ kids) and put in movie after movie, trying to believe that this is a way to control children.

After the kids had been down there for say, 4 HOURS, I mentioned something to the director. I suggested that the kids be allowed to come upstairs and run around. He told me that it was "good practice" for the kids. I reminded him that the play isn't going to last this long, that the kids need to be able to get out and stretch their legs. He just looked at me like he didn't know what to say.

I noticed other parents getting upset. Mothers were talking to mothers mentioning how "ridiculous" it was to expect the kids to sit in the basement for this long. I hope that someone told the director that he wasn't thinking when he thought up this plan to sequester the children for hours on end.

Finally, we couldn't handle it any longer. My husband went down to sit with the children for about an hour.

After about 5 1/2 hours had gone by, I think that enough of the women complained that the director and co. finally "let the captives free" and allowed them to eat. I walked into the lunch room and saw my kids. My youngest was crying, something that is highly unusual for her to do when she is with other people. The stress of all the yelling adults in the basement and the yelling she got, when she reached for a sandwich too soon, had gotten to her. She put her arms around me and sobbed.

Soon after, they stuffed the kids back in the basement.

I went down there right after them, knowing full well, that my two timid children wouldn't be handling this very well. I walked into UTTER chaos. It was awful, no wonder my youngest cried.

There were children everywhere, crammed into a space no larger than a large room.They were not being managed by anyone or anything. There were parents down there that weren't even expecting their children to control themselves. I was shocked by what I saw. Shocked that my children had to sit and put up with it all.

The rehearsal was over, the day was done after 7 hours and we went home. There were various children crying; craving sleep and their mommies.

As soon as we walked inside our house, three of our children started to cry (this is a true indication of how difficult their day was). They needed to have hugs and kisses, they desired it and sat all over me and my husband while we loved them up.

Children are children. They need to be looked at as children, not adults. They also need the parents to show them how to behave in situations like this. But after hours of just sitting, crying is to be expected.

~B