This is my fourth year at the Montessori center and therefore my fourth Christmas learning about the Nutcracker. I remembered watching it as a child in this post last year. I saw it performed at least twice, but not within the last twenty years. I have about twenty friends who were in it as children and about twenty more friends whose children are performing in it now, but I'm good to get my three to do the Christmas pageant. I'm not pressing my luck with a ballet in downtown New Haven.
As I said, I watched the play on PBS and twice on stage. I never knew the details of it my sons seems to have down. Forget Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort or Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. My boys want to play Nutcracker/Mouse King. Does this make the violence more acceptable? Is this proof that boys will find a way to thwart my attempts at making them less aggressive towards each other? Every time I turn around they have turned something into two swords and are humming Tchaikovsky while they whack each other. "It's culture mommy! Be proud of us!"
To be honest, I am kind of proud. I love it when they hum classical music in the back of the car, but it gets a little frustrating when the older one tells the younger one "your beat is off-it's blah blah blah..." I couldn't tell a difference between the two. I don't think I can sing "Happy Birthday to You" in tune. My children can hum the Nutcracker.
My kids can relate to the irritation and jealousy with a sibling. They get it when Fritz breaks Clara's Nutcracker. Again, this isn't permission to not have respect for a brother or sister's personal space or belongings because it is done to classical music. It's just one more example of how it has always happened and always will.
They have a gift for pulling Nutcracker trivia out of their heads at just the right moment. My three year old will see one at the grocery store: "Look Mommy! There's a Nutcracker! Now we need Clara and a Sugar Plumb Fairy!" My ability to fool strangers in a frozen food section is amazing. :0)
I heard Kenneth tell a girl at his public school, "No, Clara is not a princess. She is not in Disney. SHE is a little girl in a ballet and sometimes her name is Marie." One of these days he will learn to share information only when asked. Well, his mother hasn't learned that yet....
Tonight for their Friday night movie, they asked to watch a version of the ballet and I let them. All three of them watched it and no one appeared bored. Sure enough at bedtime, my tough middle man freaked out that the Mouse King was after him. I thought he was putting me on until I realized he was sweating.
OK, this is wonderful. Just wonderful. He has seen all eight Harry Potters and we only skip the snake scenes. I think he was in the room for a couple of superhero movies. I have a feeling he has seen all three Indiana Jones movies, but The Mouse King from the Nutcracker Ballet is making him shake? Did he get a hold of my copy of The Black Swan?
I used my "Mommy Force," and it worked:
"Honey, Clara knocked The Mouse King out with her slipper, would you like a shoe in case he comes back?"
"More than one, please."
Now my son is sleeping with three pairs of shoes in his bed just in case the Mouse King decides to come get him. I hope this is not at three o'clock in the morning and little brother ends up with a goose egg for fear of a rodent.
Every year and every season brings something new to learn from a classic. I can't wait to watch the Nutcracker again....
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