God given talent

I have always envied people with God given talents. I am not talking about the fine ladies who work the street corners. I’m speaking about artists, musicians, athletes etc. I can’t even draw Kelly Ripa stick figures. My son, however, is a gifted artist. He can see something once and recreate it on paper. The only talent I have is the ability to be brutally honest. Actually, it may not be a talent, but rather a disorder. Either way, those pants you wore today were a very bad choice.

The only people I am not always honest with are my children. “Mom, want to pretend we are frogs and have a tea party?” I can’t think of anything I would like to do more! “How do I look?” (Truth: like a homeless clown) Awesome! There is one thing I tell them that is without question the absolute truth. I am proud of them. They are kind and loving. Sure, at times, they can drive me crazy. My 4-year-old daughter hijacked my son’s toy car yesterday and when he demanded a turn she said, “Fine, you bastard!” It wasn’t funny, but it kind of was. She said it like she meant it. I had to duck out of the room to hide the grin on my face while I scolded her for saying a bad word.

I am not proud my daughter knows that word. Let’s focus on their other accomplishments. For example, my 14-year-old received an award over the weekend for his artwork. I was blown away when I saw this sketch of his idol Steven Spielberg.

He was recognized by the school at a small ceremony and received a certificate. You won’t see his picture on the front page of the local newspaper. If he hit, kicked or carried a ball it would make headlines. Unfortunately, we live in a society where all God given talents are not created equal.