Suddenly Seymour

This week I am home with two children instead of four. Papa and Nana have Ben and Priscilla until Thursday leaving Troy and I with our "book ends": ten-year-old Elijah and three-year-old Mary. It's been quiet and a little strange but nice nonetheless. It is rare that I get much one-on-one time with any of my kids so I am trying to take advantage of it by reading more to Mary (you'd be surprised how much of a treat that is for both of us - unless of course you, yourself, have multiple children.  I trust if that is the case, you are nodding your head in agreement : )) and listening with greater attentiveness to Elijah's movie script and new video game ideas. 

When one or all of your children turn out to have personalities and interests vastly different from your own, you find yourself often, I am discovering, scratching your head to think of ways to relate to them. My husband, Troy, was an athlete. My oldest son is anything but. In his free time, for example, he writes science fiction screen plays:

                            Dark Empire

By Elijah J. Sabourin 

Setting set on an area with blood red sky and black clouds. Opening credits play as sad, sweaty Workers are crafting clay on a large monument in the shape of a dark, twisted man. A small eyeball with six bat wings and sharp claws hisses at a man with short, silky black hair as he sits down to take a rest from the work. The man bats away the eyeball and starts working again.  Another man, black skinned with muscular outline, laughs ...

Miraculously, and to my great relief, I have found a theater one town over with plenty of acting and writing classes for children his age - kids who understand and relate to his unique idea of fun. He is very interested in attending and participating in plays at the moment ,and thus we found ourselves - just Troy, Elijah and I (Paige and Bobby babysat Mary) - at a Michigan City production of "Little Shop of Horrors" this past Sunday evening.  He'd seen a poster for it at the YMCA and begged us to take him. I have to say "no" so often to Elijah, mostly because of time and financial constraints,  so he was ecstatic when we agreed to it. It had been years since I'd seen the movie starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin, I believe. I remembered it being a musical and funny. 

The theater itself was small. The actors were quite talented. The story-line, however, a little creepier than I recalled. Let's just say it doesn't end well for anyone. But all in all, despite my failure to more thoroughly filter our viewing options, I enjoyed accompanying my son to an event of his own choosing. I was thankful for the opportunity to spend an evening with just him. I am determined, as he gets older, to find ways, create ways, pray and pray and pray for ways to stay connected with my son.