Bacon and a Show

My kids are both serious carnivores. I can’t say that I blame, they come by it naturally. While I may serve dinners made of chickpeas and quinoa on a regular basis, I’m still at my happiest when scarfing down a Thickburger from Hardee’s (especially one that has been slathered in extra mayo).  

Unlike me, however, my children aren’t squeamish about acknowledging that the foods they love to consume were once living, breathing animals.

Recently, when several of my daughter’s friends were discussing how cute and adorable baby pigs are, and how much they love them, my girl chimed in, “Yeah, I really like bacon.”

She’s not exactly the warm and fuzzy type, that one.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Given their meat-eating ways, it should come as no surprise that, when I took them both to see a live performance of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs at COCA last weekend, neither child displayed much sympathy for the pigs. 

They loved hearing Alexander T. Wolf (who was on trial for murder in a “Piggsylvania” courtroom) tell his side of the timeless tale, and it didn’t take much to convince them that the Big, Bad Wolf has been getting a bad rap.  

I think it was his argument that you can’t leave a perfectly good ham dinner lying on the ground. That really got to them. They totally would have eaten the little piggies too.

The production, brought to COCA by Dallas Children’s Theatre and based on the best-selling book by the same name, is filled with catchy songs and upbeat dance numbers, and of course, lots and lots of pigs.

But by highlighting the wolf’s point of view, the play teaches young audience members that truth isn’t always what it seems — and that there are two sides to every story.

Although, while part of me applauds the lesson in critical thinking, another part of me wonders if that’s a door I’m really ready to open.

Think about it. If our kids figure out that the Big, Bad Wolf is in fact NOT the bad guy they’ve been led to believe him to be, how long is it before they start to question all the other sacred beliefs of childhood?

That’s a slippery slope, lined with parental tall tales and half-truths, and I don’t know about you, but I’m keenly aware of the fact that it’s almost Christmas. And I really don’t need a couple of kids on a sudden quest to uncover "The True Story of Santa Claus."

The COCA Family Theatre Series

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs marked our family’s first visit to COCA to take advantage of their Family Theatre Series, and I have to say, if you’ve never taken your children to see a play, this is the perfect opportunity to introduce them to live theater.

(Just ignore my complaints about how they’re teaching my kids to, you know, think for themselves.)

All shows in the Family Theatre Series have a running time of one hour (perfect for families with little ones), and are located in COCA’s Founder’s Theatre (where every seat is close to the stage).

Each show runs for only one weekend, so you can no longer see The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, but the 2012-2013 season continues with kid-friendly shows like The Little Dancer Dec. 7-9, Guess How Much I Love You Feb. 1-3, and The Gruffalo Feb. 23-24. (The season's full schedule can be found at www.cocastl.org)

Even better, the program indicates that if you bring your ticket stub to Fitz’s after a COCA show, you’re entitled to a free float with the purchase of any meal. We considered taking advantage of the offer, but instead decided to head home and have breakfast for dinner.

For some reason, we were all in the mood for bacon.

By Alyssa Chirco, SmartMama blogger for SmartParenting

Photos courtesy of COCA