Grounded

I'm grounded on Fridays.

It's not really a bad thing. I just like that it sounds dramatic. =D

It's not that I've done anything wrong or that I'm being punished in any way. It's just that on Fridays we have a group of young people in our home. That's right. Our house. Every Friday.

This started well over a year ago when all the junior high kids would get together at our house once a week to play improv games (like the tv show - "Who's Line is it Anyway?").  Well, last year's 8th graders went on to high school, but Jonathan decided to continue the tradition with his friends.

So, here we are again.  Every week since the beginning of the year, they've been meeting together, with Adam as their fearless leader.  Week after week they get to practice thinking on their feet, communicating ideas to each other, and getting comfortable in their own skin as they practice physical comedy. 

Here's a group of "unsocialized" homeschool kids who have found that they've grown together and learned from one another in a non-threatening atmosphere.  They've grown pretty confident in their abilities and they've learned that they are FUNNY.  They've gained skills that maybe they could have picked up in a formal drama class setting, only in this case, they get to try out their comedy muscles in a pretty well-controlled environment. (umm... is this a bad thing?)  Unless, of course,  you count those kids who eventually become the Class Clown, but gratefully, Adam graduated from high school four years ago and now he's got a great outlet to channel all that creative energy. ;-)

They've grown into a lovely troupe and all of them look forward to Improv at the Darbys every week.

From left to right:
Jonathan K., Aaron, Jonah, Jonathan D., Shoshana, Lucy, Tori, and Tessia. And yes, that's my Adam (Merrymaker in Chief) in the background. (sigh)

My job is to keep the snack table loaded and to throw out ideas.  A job that I do willingly and that, as a Cuban mother (and all-around smart-aleck), I'm very well suited for.  I love our time together every week, and so do they.

Maybe I should re-phrase my opening line...

It's not that I'm grounded on Fridays.  It's what happens here on Fridays that keeps me grounded.