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My 10 yr old son has been given a girls part in a school play because they had one too many boys to fill the boys roles and there were still a couple of important girl roles to fill. He is a bit upset about being the only boy singled out like this. Any suggestions on how to support him?
You could tell him that's how actors in Shakespeare's time did it, but I doubt he'll be mollified.
If your son is really against it, talk to him about it. What's the part? Does he have to dress like a girl? Are the other kids going to make fun of him? I would probably fight the school on it, if it's a big deal to him.
My 10 yr old son has been given a girls part in a school play because they had one too many boys to fill the boys roles and there were still a couple of important girl roles to fill. He is a bit upset about being the only boy singled out like this. Any suggestions on how to support him?
What is the play? If it's something like a dance in The Nutcracker where he's having to wear a dress, I don't think he should be made to. Maybe you could suggest to the teacher to ask the other boys if one would like the girl role. Tell her your son is not comfortable w/ the role. Another boy might think it's fun.
Sit down with your son and the teacher (or whoever is in charge of the play) and talk this out. Maybe a compromise can be met, or maybe in talking it out your son's feelings will change.
My 10 yr old son has been given a girls part in a school play because they had one too many boys to fill the boys roles and there were still a couple of important girl roles to fill. He is a bit upset about being the only boy singled out like this. Any suggestions on how to support him?
Is this a play that will be performed in front of others? Will your son be dressed as a female? I think 10 is an age where kids do a lot of teasing and I can understand why he would be uncomfortable.
I would talk to the teacher. If my child and it could be a boy or girl is uncomfortable even being in it I would talk to the teacher. If they are given a role that is a different gender and they are NOT comfortable with it I would not even leave it up for discussion. It would be "case closed" if my son was not comfortable being in a girls role. There ARE ways around this and the teachers should be smart enough to come up with something without this even happening in the first place.
The 4th, 5th, and 6th graders at my daughter's elementary school performed the Nutcracker every year. The parts were all played by volunteers, and they never had enough boys (it's great that your son's play had too many!). Sometimes girls would play some of the soldiers or mice; my daughter was the Nutcracker one year. That year we had only a couple of boys to be Drosselmeyer and one of the narrators. Clara didn't have a brother that year; she had Francine instead of Franz.
My point is that school plays can be reworked to accomodate this kind of thing.
Talk to the teacher about what? If there are not enough roles for the boys, what do you expect the teacher to do about it? My son would have just said thank you but no thank you. At 10 years old they are old enough to deal with this sort of thing on their own without parent involvment on something so trivial.
Unless this is a mandatory play, which I have never heard of but could be the case at other schools. Then I guess yes I would talk to the teacher and refuse to let my son lose credits if he decides not to participate.
Talk to the teacher about what? If there are not enough roles for the boys, what do you expect the teacher to do about it? My son would have just said thank you but no thank you. At 10 years old they are old enough to deal with this sort of thing on their own without parent involvment on something so trivial.
Yes, I was assuming it was mandatory. If not, as you say, no problem for the child just to decline.
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