The littlest thespian

The scene last night (as reported on Facebook):

The youngest has gone into drama mode full bore. He just directed the entire family in a brief singalong of "Grease"--after clothing each of us in leather jackets and bossing us around. The leather ottoman in the living room has saucepan lids for hub caps (Greased Lightning).


Of course, I'm asking myself what kind of parents we are to allow our preschooler to watch "Grease" (with the not-so-innocent language--especially in "Greased Lightning"!!!). Guess that's what happens with the third child! I'm afraid he's corrupted now.

Tonight:
 
I arrived home tonight to see our leather jackets hanging on the mantelpiece (see above, minus Nick's, which was upstairs, taken off before bedtime). Chris was playing drums at a basketball game, so he wasn't around this evening, but the rest of us were conscripted once again into Nick's play. We asked him if it was to be "Grease" again, to which he answered, "No, not Grease--too much love!"
 
Tonight it was "Tom and Jack and the Forest Elves," which involved him tap dancing in his cowboy boots, and Mike and I pretending to tap dance as well until he tapped our feet, at which point we were to fall down on the floor. Later he declared, "time to deliver the papers!" Unbeknownst to Mike, he had wrapped up a bunch of newspapers in rubber bands and squirrelled them away in the footstool. He and Kieran began flinging them to me and Mike. Then more frenetic tap dancing. (Chris is learning how to tap dance for "Singin' in the Rain," Kieran is taking tap dancing lessons, and Nick LOVES the Nicholas Brothers, so we're in a tap phrase at the moment.) During these plays, if anyone fails to follow his directions or talks out of turn, the entire play must start at the beginning. He is one strict director. He's also got the dramatic actor part down, as he is prone to tears if we try to cut the plays off prematurely. And he's known to declare "I hate this family!" if we don't do what he says.
 
Drama: is it nature or nurture?

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