Throughout our lives, we come across many different types of people. We create tons of relationships every day, and sometimes we do not even realize it. We have friendships, acquaintances, parent-child relationships, family, teacher-student relationships and many more. We all know or have that dad who is too busy for his children. In Tender Offer by Wendy Wasserstein Paul, the father of Lisa, who is 9 years old, is a very busy business man. Little Lisa has just finished her dance recital and is waiting for her father to pick her up. Her father missed her dance recital and is late to pick her up so she makes up her own song and dance. When he arrives she is in her own imagination singing and dancing. Their conversation is short and straightforward. Lisa is obviously upset her father missed her performance. You get the impression Paul does no know much about dance or how to speak to his 9 year old when he says "Well it looked good. Kind of sexy" (Wasserstein 1). Right at the start of the play we know there are both relationship and communication problems in the family. .
The theme is very bold that the father is too busy for his little girl, and needs to try harder to make a relationship that is both closer and stronger. Family should come first, rather than the father's work and business. Lisa tries to talk to her dad about her dance teacher Miss Judy, and Paul does not even know who she is, He replies with "Who is Miss Judy?" (Wasserstein 2). Lisa is very short in her responses to her dad. Her father also tries to make a conversation with his 9 year old about his work, which she could care less about. He does not know how to communicate with her, or know her emotions. Lisa is procrastinating around the dance studio; we do not hear much about her mother but by her not wanting to go home right away, there is a possibility her and her mother might not have a great relationship either.