Question

If your kid really wants to be a singer/actor/dancer but is...ummm...lacking in the talent department, do you encourage them to follow their dreams? Or do you try to suggest another path?

The reason I ask is because CMT was showing repeats of their Karaoke Star Jr. contest that happened earlier this year and some the kids were just not good. Some were quite talented, but others were pretty horrible. Of course the judges all spoke like they'd graduated from the Paula Abdul School of Judging (i.e. no real criticism of any kind), which was understandable given the contestants' ages (9-14). I just kept wondering how their mothers let them believe that trying out for this thing was a good idea.

Then I remembered how when I was younger all I wanted to be was the next Mini-Pop, and then maybe a famous singer in my own right. I was so convinced of my talent, I truly believed that the only reason why it couldn't happen was because I needed to live in New York or London or Toronto. I took voice lessons for several years and put on my share of public performances. Looking back, I don't think I was bad, but since then I've been able to put it all in context, i.e. I was good for the talent available in our area at the time.

But who knows? Maybe I'm selling myself short because I know in my heart that if I had to do it over again, maybe I would have focused more on performing. Maybe I would have found the courage to move to Toronto or London or New York to try to make a go of it.

Oh, who am I kidding. I would have probably moved home by Christmas.