Prima donna Emilia

My children have recently starting showing an interest in doing drama again. They have always liked taking centre stage at home, and have all been remarkably unembarrassed to speak in public. In fact, Rachel will say in a loud voice, over the top of the general chatter at the dinner table “I want everyone to listen to me!” and I have to call for silence so we can all hear what she has to say.

I am really not sure how much I want to encourage this, apart from the fact, it will cost a small fortune to send them all to drama classes, I don’t think I can deal with the egos that may come with the budding thespians.

A prime example of this was when Emilia had the (not so) starring role of Angel 6 in the school nativity. The evening of the nativity was also Aunty Liz’s birthday and there were eleven of us in my kitchen, drinking tea and eating birthday cake whilst I cooked the dinner. 

By the time it was ready to serve up, the children had all gone off to play and watch TV. We were having Emilia’s least favourite meal, fish and chips, and I was anticipating a reaction, so had forewarned the adults in the room to expect her dramatic protest.

When the children came in, Granny tipped her off and quietly warned Emilia not to say anything, as she looked at her plate with horror.

Emilia couldn’t help herself, but did tone down her usual outburst.

“Why have you made fish!” she demanded, in a calm but cross voice, with accompanying emphatic downward hand gestures.

“Because...” I said “it was easy, and we’re a big family and sometimes we have to have macaroni cheese, which Ben doesn’t like, and sometimes bolognaise, which Patrick doesn’t like, and sometimes sausages.....”

She broke in, “Yes, but you don’t understand – I have to perform tonight in front of all these grown-ups. I can’t have just chips and peas!!”  

She was so desperate about it and so sincere in her belief that she couldn’t possibly be expected to act on so little food, that I offered to make her something else, and started to reel off alternatives.

All eyes in the room were turned to us now, and suddenly aware of the scene she was making, said;

 “Can we please have this discussion in private!” and waltzed off down the hallway.

She turned down everything I offered to make her, dismissing it all as just taking too long to cook. She finally settled on some tinned spaghetti in tomato sauce and afterwards went off happy to her nativity performance. 

She only had one line and a bit of a dance with the other angels.

If she is this much of a prima donna over that, imagine what she’ll be like if she gets a main part one day.