Drag Queen Story Hour...and some surprising events!

@Hamburger Mary's Jax with Brittany Moore, Sondra Todd, and Sania D Cruz.

The first thing I have to say about this Drag Queen Story Time is ...WOW, it was amazing. It was such a heartfelt and funny experience. I dare say the Queens had more fun than the kids and the kids loved it. Put yourself in a frame of mind... imagine a group of adults dressed up in fantastical clothes and read to you when you were a kid?

Our readers taking turns reading the Red Crayon book. The different color crayons all got different voices <3

What struck me most was that it was never, at any moment, anything other than brilliantly dressed people reading stories to a crowd of kids.

I looked for it, I looked hard for any sign that this was impacting children in any other way than kids being read to, and I could not find any of it. The kids were asked what their favorite days were, they we asked what they thought of being a mermaid, they were asked about blue crayons wrapped in a red wrapper and they all enthusiastically shouted out "Christmas!" and "Birthdays!" and answered that the mermaids were beautiful, and that blue was a great color! I looked for skeptical parents, skeptical kids, embarrassed kids, nervous kids, and you know what I saw? It was (in my southern slang) darn right plain vanilla. I mean seriously, they were all (and by all Parents and Kids) having a great time.

When the girls first came on stage, you could see they were in for a time with about 20 kids sitting. The girls had never had a crowd like this before... how will they do?

The next thing to happen was that the performers were getting into it. You could see the kids energy radiating,

you could see the drag queens learning that kids are awesome, that kids are kind, that kids are polite. I would say the kids surprised the Girls. They pointed out characters and plot that you could tell our readers missed. The Queens slowed down some to be more expressive and the kids responded by helping out. At one point I could not tell who was the entertainer and the entertained!!

I also felt my own self listen and look in awe at young kids that give me complete hope for the future.

What I heard was loving, kind, supportive and caring. What I saw was an exchange between kids and adults that amazed both. And what I left with was the feeling that story time, whether it is read by a Man, Woman, Drag Queen, Blue Bear, or whatever else, wasn't a one way street, it was a moment where adult spirits are renewed and childhood imagination is inspired.

They were amazing, by the smile you can tell that everyone was having a great time!

This was a magical moment I won't forget and one I could not downplay it if I tried. If you get a chance, and are deeply introspective and analytical and look to the greater soul of things like I am, I would love to hear your own thoughts and experiences.