THE MAMA ROSE FILES
So that kid of yours has just gotta be the next Billy Elliot on Broadway or maybe your adorable Mackensee wants to be the next Little Cosette at your local theatre group? The Mama Rose Files will help you be the best Stage-Mama you can be.
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There is a lot of baggage associated with the term “Stage Mother.” And I have experienced all kinds. They fall into four distinct types:
The Bewildered Stage-Mama. This is the mom who has no idea what is going on with her kid. She comes from generations of bankers. Or coal miners. And she is completely flummoxed by what she sees. Her naivete is often endearing. Her kids, often the most genuine.
The Passive Aggressive Stage-Mama. This is the mom who rewards her kids mightily for doing well at the performing, often with cash and wildly disproportionate gifts — like trips to NYC for Broadway cattle call auditions. She tells them that they’re the best of all, yet wouldn’t they be even better if they lost 10 pounds… or worked harder for clearer skin … or practiced more. You get my point.
The Ferocious Stage-Mama. This is the Mama Rose of ‘em all. And David Archuleta’s scary dad is here, too as well as nine out of 10 of the parents of kids auditioning for America’s Got Talent. There’s an agenda there that is not at all psychologically healthy but in the midst of such drama, it’s like a train-wreck. Impossible to look away.
Everyone’s Favorite Stage-Mama. She’s the one who, let’s face it, we should all want to be. We want to expose our kids to each and every opportunity and then sit back and let our kids decide their path. We want to bake really great brownies for the potluck on Tech Sunday and rather than live through our kids, let them live as they are meant to. If we, or someone else, sees that indescribable spark in our kid, we let it grow. If we don’t, we let it go.
Now that I am a parent I do ponder where I’m going to fit in that list. My girls could reject it all and obsess about soccer and be freakishly good at math. Who knows? We’ll explore this as I blog, merrily along I’m sure.
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