Thursday 8 October 2009

What have I let myself in for?


Yesterday morning I took daughter off school for an appointment with the nurse.

We then went shopping. You could call it retail therapy (a treat for being good for the nurse) or you could call it last-minute-panic to get ready for Saturday, it depends on whether you are Mother or Daughter, I suspect.

You see, in a rash moment of parental concern I enrolled our daughter in a drama class that meets every Saturday morning. Concerned as we are about her speech, I thought this would be a great activity for her: it will force her to speak, in public; it will improve her confidence with her peers, adults and strangers; and it will be active and physically challenging as well. Ticks nearly all the boxes for helping her develop without her realising it!

Week 1 was great and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Week 2 we had to miss. Week 3? We received a list of what costumes she needs over the term.

Oh yes - costumes! Why didn't I think it through about the consequences of drama? Stuff the improved speech and self-confidence: now I am a mother with a weekly outfit to prepare, where (of course) I cannot possibly be outdone by any of the others. Pressure!!

Moreover, I have been reading others blogs about this - following Troy with his son's Roald Dahl day at school and Diary of a Mithered Mum, with her eldest's Story Book character at school. I should read and learn. But no, I am now caught up in a term full of costumes.

This Saturday she is a spider.
Next week Princess Jasmine or character from Arabian Nights.
Later, she has to be a giant turnip - yes, a giant turnip!
Another week she can be Cinderella (that, I know, is easy: there is already a costume in the box!)
By Christmas she needs to be an elf or a reindeer or something.

So our retail therapy session was to buy cheap, monochrome outfits that can be adapted with ease. (Brown top + trousers: add on some antlers and I have my reindeer, for example.) We were specifically told not to go out and buy outfits but that puts additional pressure on finding the mother-with-sewing-machine-and-imagination. Besides, most of my daughter's trousers are now pedal-pushers so I justified it on the grounds she needs new clothes anyway. I threw in a couple of pink tops and the little girl was happy.

So, now she has some basics - just how do I adapt them?


The photo is not of my children, nor of any children I know, and I'm sorry I've lost the link to the website that was using it to promote their costumes.

6 comments:

cheshire wife said...

How can you conjure up these outfits without buying something?

The wife of bold said...

Sounds like a lot of hassle and very expensive!!! I'm in the process of trying to make a few tutu's they look fairly easy but i can't sew to save my life and i don't own any type of sewing machine or even a needle and thread? The main thing is she's enjoying it though, but who are they kidding when they say there's no need to buy anything ha. Goodluck x

A Modern Mother said...

We do theatre too and the girls love it. I could do without the costume bit though. Stressful.

Dorset Dispatches said...

Yikes. My idea of a personal hell. I hate making costumes etc. Absolutely hate it. I can see I am going to have to confront it though, as the boys love it. Deep breath...

Troy said...

Welcome to the club! At least ours wasn't a weekly committment. I think Mrs Troy would have had a nervous breakdown in your circumstances.

Working Mum said...

Aaargh! Don't mention the whole costume palaver to me. I had four days' notice last year to produce a ladybird costume for assembly (two days I was at work and one was Mother's Day). I went for the 'buy one' option and e-bay came to my rescue, but only just, thanks to Royal Fail.

At least I know not to sign my daughter up for drama lessons now. Good luck!

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