I got an email from my best friend today, a very chipper email about decorating for Autumn, books, food…and how she got up at ‘the butt-crack of dawn’ for the purpose of signing up one her two charges (my friend is a nanny) in the school play.  See, at this particular school in this particular affluent section of San Diego County, it’s not as simple as it was when WE were kids.  Her charge (who we’ll call S) is seven.  Or eight.  I lose track.  At any rate, when I was that age, school plays found a place for everyone who wanted a part.  Oh well.

ANYway, my pal got there at 7am, figuring this would be plenty early enough.  She found and found a long line of parents sitting in beach chairs who’d been there since five thirty in the morning.  The sign-up officially started at eight.  They ended up 9th on the waiting list.  So, to quote my pal, ‘it looks like S’s dream of being a baby rat in “Charlotte’s Web” probably won’t happen.’

But that’s not the real kicker.

Each child who gets in the play will pay (or rather their parents will pay) $250 for the privilege of participating, no matter what their part.

Is is just me, or is this sending a really negative and dysfunctional message to these kids?   It’s not like this school needs the money to put on their play.  This is one of the most affluent neighborhoods in SD County and if my podunk school in Lakeside or the slightly more ritzy Cabrillo Elementary could afford to put on a play without charging the actors a fee, so can La…er…this community.

I shakes my head, I does…