Hell Week

We are less than a week away from opening night of the production of Beauty and the Beast. It is the official start of what the kids in the show call "HELL week". Everyone is on edge, rushing around trying to tie up loose ends. They are also rehearsing almost every free moment they have and when they are done rehearsing, they come home to their families. That's when it's the parents turn to act.

Being the parent of a thespian requires patience. Thespians are a tough breed. While they are dedicated to their craft, they also have a love/hate relationship with it. There is the love of the performance and the time spent together as a cast in the trenches of rehearsals. There is also the hate of the endless practicing and waiting for your call onto the stage. There is also the sadness of the final performance when you know that you will not be together as a cast again. In the middle of this whirlwind of emotions, it is the parent's job to parent and support, that's where it gets tricky here at our house.

I have done this before, with my oldest Ashleigh having been in shows throughout her four years in high school, I kind of knew the drill already and when Aly joined the ranks of the family thespians two years ago, I sensed that we were trotting into the same territory. Now, Avery has also climbed aboard and is enjoying being a thespian as well. There has never been a lack of drama in our home, but when the plays are in full swing things really heat up. Now with two in the same show it's getting down right fiery around here.

One daughter is up when the other is down, one daughter is mad the other is not, one daughter is sick the other is healthy. I am riding a head spinning carousel of emotion and it is a good thing the play is only six days away, because I am about to snap. This morning I asked the girls to write some things that they would like me to pick up at the grocery store on a list and the response from Aly was a classic "Mom, I am busy!" Seriously, busy? So, does this mean that if I do not have anything in the house Aly wants to eat, she cannot complain? Of course not!

So, it's Hell week and things are heating up around here too. I have donned my protective gear and I am prepared to battle the thespian demons, I also have a shoulder to cry on and a car to transport my thespians where they need to be. As for feeding them, I guess I will have to wing it though, unless you think they can survive on Cheez-its, pretzels and cookies, since that is what Avery added to the grocery list this morning. I am just going to have to make my way through this week of hell, because I know in the end it is worth every minute when I see my girls perform. Nothing matters then, that's when my girls are my angels, my heart soars and memories of the past weeks just float away.