After school melee

Theo is participating in an after school program called Destination Imagination or DI for short.  This is a program that encourages creative problem solving and collaboration.  It doesn't always succeed.  Back when Eli tried it he learned a lot about finding a balance between doing the work for others or failing as a group or figuring out how to motivate classmates to work harder.  It caused tears of frustration out of that level headed kid.  He would hold long conversations mostly with himself as he tried to figure out what to do with his wild group.  "Should I just write the whole script since so and so never did it?  He just played math games all day!"  "But I don't want them to think that if they don't do things for themselves that someone else will just step in and do it for them." "But I don't want to be the worst group at the competition!"  I tried to interject wisdom I have gained over my many years of collaborative work, but he wasn't really looking for my advice.  He was just airing grievances.  In the end he did manage to coerce a little more effort out of the group and they put in a respectable performance.  Kind of. 

Theo is in a group that seems to either have an easier task or they are secretly really efficient.  All I see them do is impale each other on nerf swords and practice dying.  But somehow they have manged to create a 3 minute movie trailer about the 100 years war.  It's actually kind of touching, how one of them ends up cutting the head off of a childhood friend.  Just wish the victor could emote a little more remorse, instead of the glee that comes with a well choreographed nerf sword fight.  Because it is well choreographed, despite the fact that I never see them talking or working or doing anything beyond poking, impaling, charging, slashing, yelling.

It has become my role to try to keep the injuries to a minimum every Tuesday from 3 to 5pm.  It's hard work.  Add to that a couple prop making sessions over the weekends and you have one mom who is really looking forward to the competition coming.  And going.  But Theo enjoys it immensely and it helps him get to school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, which I can not complain about.  That doesn't mean I look forward to 3pm today....