Saturday evening

It's taken me a while to get round to posting this. It's not my slowing middle age that is to blame here. It's simply because I needed time to digest the experience!

On Saturday night I saw Margaret in a film. It was a good film. It was something the kids involved with could be proud of. It made me laugh, it moved me, it made me think that there were some talented kids at the drama school Margaret attends and it made me realise that Margaret can act the socks off anyone.

That was the bit I have had to digest in the last couple of days.

It is hard to be objective when talking about the level of talent of one's own child. Either the kid is a dead loss but you love her anyway, or she is the best thing to come along since the pneumatic tyre.

Simply put, Margaret has talent and intelligence. She not only scripted a couple of her own scenes, but wrote music for one as well. The scene where she was talking on her mobile to her "mother" and trying to convince her that she hadn't taken her stash of pot was very moving and gave a great insight into the character she played. 

The realisation that she is in fact talented enough to try to act for a living is a bit daunting. It's also a bit familiar. I remember how it all felt when I was that age, and how acting seemed to be the greatest drug in the world. Other things moved into my life to replace it, but I saw a spark on the screen on Saturday night that made me realise that Margaret will not be deflected so easily.

And she shouldn't be.