I Want To Do That.
When Dylan was in kindergarten, he sat on the floor watching his school talent show.
“I want to do that,” he said without blinking.
“You want to be in the talent show?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said.
I thought he was out of his mind. “Okay,” I said.
So the following spring, barely 7, Dylan got up on the stage and sang. Then he did it again in second grade – the year he also sang solo in the musical.
By third grade, he hired a little backup singer. Shane, who was in kindergarten, donned sunglasses, stomped, clapped and sang with Dylan, We Will Rock You. (The video still makes me laugh.)
Dylan continued singing and acting. Shane acted in a never-released movie. Then Shane became an amateur magician, and started performing everywhere.
When I was a little girl, I barely spoke above a whisper, and I didn’t have the confidence to perform anything.
Still, I tried out for the school talent show in sixth grade. My friend Margaret and I walked in a dizzying circle, playing a tambourine and bongo drum. We sang Helen Reddy’s I Am Woman: “I am woman, hear me roar…”
We were 11.
In an act which, I now realize, could only be described as merciful, we were rejected and never performed in the show.
I was so quiet, in fact, that the chorus teacher couldn’t hear me when I auditioned for the high school chorus – and I was sitting right next to her on a piano bench. So I was rejected for chorus, too.
And my husband has always considered himself to be shy. He spends a great deal of time speaking in front of audiences, but he’s always nervous about it.
For whatever reason, though, our kids do fine on stage.
Dylan’s English teacher – who had not one single positive thing to say about Dylan all year – sent me an email that said of Dylan, “He’s so talented in speaking to a large crowd.”
This came on the heels of a note from Shane’s teacher, who also does not dole out easy compliments. Yet he has asked Shane, on more than one occasion, to present to not only his own class, but other classes as well. And Shane has also been writing a book, and reading it to the class as he finishes each chapter.
Shane’s teacher said, “He has a real talent in the whole process of creating and implementing presentations to an audience. He is so calm, cool, collected and has a presence where kids are silent and really pay attention. It has been so much fun to witness his growth.”
Then – in case that was insufficient to bring me to tears – the teacher said Shane has “great character with real depth combined with a sense of humor and an ability to get along with everyone.”
So my kids are both great on stage. What a terrific attribute to have! Presentation skills can be useful no matter what profession they choose. And being comfortable in front of an audience? Most of us would give anything just to be able to stand there without humiliating ourselves.
It brings briefly to mind the “Nature versus Nurture” debate.
In this case, I believe Nurture has knocked out Nature with one punch. And I am just so glad about that.