Real Life Skills

"Clueless" is one of my favorite movies.   Its loosely based on Jane Austen's "Emma"--a great story.  It is loaded with funny lines and memorable quotes.  One scene, though, has always stuck with me.  Its a scene between Cher and her father, Mel, a high-powered attorney. They're discussing a grade on her report card.  Here it is:



Mel: You mean to tell me that you argued your way from a C+ to an A-?
Cher: Totally based on my powers of persuasion, you proud?
Mel: Honey, I couldn't be happier than if they were based on real grades.


My big son and I enacted this scene today in our kitchen.  This week's play at Fakespeare Theatre Camp is "Sherlock Jester".  Some kind of mash-up of Sherlock Holmes and some Elizabethan court jester.   Yesterday Connor said that he had the lead role of  "Sherlock" but that he had lost it because he was yelling too much and instead would now be playing a more minor role of "Tweedle-Dee".  He said it was a boring role but didn't seem concerned about the demotion.  Neither of us dwelt on it.

Today I asked him how rehearsal was and he advised me of the following:

I am the lead, now.  Sherlock.  I am the lead because I begged and begged and the kid that was doing it after it got taken away from me for screaming wasn't really liking it and he decided to do a VERY VERY VERY nice thing and give it back to me and now he is going to be the Narrator.  It will be written on the back of the "thing" (I think this means the Program) that he did a really nice thing.  Isn't that really nice?

I know my boy.  And so, I'll interpret this all to mean that he WORE THEM DOWN TO NUBS OF HUMAN FLESH with constant wheedling, whining, negotiation, and threats of walk-out.

That kid will be getting a present from Connor on Friday.  Of that you can be sure.

There are negative words you could apply to him in this situation:  Conniving.  Aggressive.  Spoiled.  
Certainly, depending on where you know his heart is, a stranger could use those words.   But his heart is in a different place and I would use the words:  Tenacious.  Convincing.  Confident.   Hopefully, all of this will come in handy some day.