The Talent Show

Dear all,

I have been asked how I manage to be myself around some of the world’s brightest and/or most talented people who are fellow parents at school. Saturday, I think I figured out why it doesn’t intimidate me. 

Saturday afternoon and evening were spent feting our school.  The occasion was the celebration of the Junior School’s 100 years on its current site.  There were a ton of people and, this shouldn’t surprise you, picnicking.  I swear, eight hours of small talk can wear even me out, but as I stood there chatting with other parents that day, I figured something out. 

As part of the day’s activities there was a children’s talent show.  Fifty-eight kids auditioned and only seventeen acts were chosen.  R was chosen for two acts. That’s right, TWO!  You can imagine my beaming face when R took his place on the outdoor stage; his image projected onto a massive screen for the curious who were too far away to catch the subtleties of  his performance. His first act was (a drum roll please…) smooshing an empty 7-UP can between his shoulder blades and, additionally, carrying a shoe around between his aforementioned shoulder blades.  Very well received by the audience, by the way.  His second act was himself and a friend wrestling, while on their knees in what appeared to be some sort of yoga position.  The audience received this with lesser enthusiasm.  His older siblings were horrified.

Other acts included a band and other children displaying athletic skills.

So you wonder how any of this relates to me feeling confident enough to talk to other parents with ease?  I’ll tell you.  The girl in the band has a famous father who wasn’t there that night because he is touring the US to sold out shows all summer long.  The kid with athletic skills has a father who is an English national treasure and has a statue of his likeness in town.  How could I NOT feel confident with these people?  Of course their children will be talented! How could they not be talented?  These kids are blessed with good genes not to mention the reserves of money that seem to go hand in hand with talent, brains and ability.  But our children?  Just look at their parents:  ZERO talent.  Our children are wonderful because they have risen to life’s challenges despite coming from a gene pool void of any talent!  They are bright even though their mother’s answer to any and all questions is, ‘I don’t know.  Go google it.’ Sheer determination to rise above their watery gene pool.  It makes me proud.  It makes me good enough.

I feel at ease, I suppose, because I am just as proud of my kids as the famous parents are of their children.  Let’s just see THEIR kid walk around on a stage, shirt off, boxer shorts a good three or four inches above his jeans-and who knows the last time they were changed- carrying a dirty shoe around on his boney back.  We’re all just the same, proud of our kids, doing what we hope is best and wishing someone would do something, ANYTHING, to ease congestion every morning in the school parking lot. 

With love from England,

T-Ann