Potlucks & Poetry

Aubrey imagines herself reciting a serious poem at Whit's End, only to have her parents interrupt with childhood stories and demands for her Winnie-the-Pooh impression. The thought captures why she has hidden the real poetry reading from them. It takes place the next evening at the same time as a church potluck, and Aubrey would rather miss her performance than risk having Mom and Dad embarrass her in front of the audience.

Bethany discovers the announcement in Aubrey's room and promises not to tell. She is far more interested in the arrival of their grandparents, Frank and Betty, who bring gifts and attention. Ben and Ellen are much less relaxed about the visit. Ellen's parents do not understand their Christian faith, and Frank loves a debate, so they fear the outspoken couple will embarrass them in front of new friends at church.

Although Ellen badly wants to attend the potluck, she and Ben cannot find a polite way to leave her parents behind. They decide that the whole family must go together. Aubrey repeatedly asks to stay home, but she will not explain that her poetry reading is scheduled for the same night.

Bethany accidentally tells Frank and Betty about Whit's End and the performance. Aubrey admits that her parents do not know and that she does not want them there. She remembers her father shouting a forgotten line from the audience during a school play and her mother taking embarrassing instant photographs. Her grandparents understand her fear and offer to help her attend without them.

At dinner, Ben and Ellen make the potluck sound as dull as possible while inviting Frank and Betty. The grandparents quickly claim that the crowd and heavy food do not appeal to them. Then they volunteer to spend the evening alone with the girls, leaving Ben and Ellen free to attend church. Both generations are pleased with an arrangement that secretly allows each to avoid the other.

Frank, Betty, and Bethany accompany Aubrey to Whit's End, where her poetry reading goes beautifully. Her grandparents praise her work and speaking ability. Bethany then innocently repeats that her parents had worried about Frank's debates and outspoken behavior. Realizing why Ben and Ellen accepted the separate outing so eagerly, Frank and Betty decide that the family needs to meet at the church after all.

At the potluck, Ellen receives a poetry flyer from Tom Riley and discovers Aubrey's name on it. She and Ben realize that the grandparents helped their daughter conceal the event. They rush to Whit's End, but the reading is over, and Eugene tells them the family has gone to make a brief appearance at church.

Ben and Ellen return to find everyone happily taking part in a limbo contest. Before Aubrey can escape, her parents ask why she kept the reading secret. She admits she feared they might refuse permission or embarrass her if they attended. Ben is sorry she felt that way, but he insists that she must be honest and give her parents the opportunity to be involved in her life.

Frank and Betty immediately point out that Ben and Ellen were not honest about wanting to attend the potluck without them. Aubrey sees the contradiction: she has been embarrassed by her parents, while her mother has been embarrassed by her own. Stories of Ellen's childhood prove that the feeling has passed from one generation to the next, including a trip to school with shampoo still in her hair and months of driving with basic instructions taped to the windshield.

The grandparents explain that parents do not set out to humiliate their children. Their awkward enthusiasm, warnings, photographs, and public encouragement usually grow from love and concern. Frank and Betty also acknowledge that they should never have helped the girls go behind Ben and Ellen's backs. Even when they disagree with the Shepards' choices, they know the parents act for their daughters' good.

Aubrey apologizes to her parents, Ben and Ellen apologize to the grandparents, and everyone forgives one another. The adults enthusiastically rejoin the limbo game, promptly drawing attention with messy clothes, bare feet, and more personal comments. Aubrey understands them better, but she still decides that hiding in the car may be the safest place while all three generations enjoy the potluck together.