5 January 2009, 4:34 pm
Okay I know all parents believe their children are beautiful and talented, but do parents actually see through the cloudy haze of parental love? One of my coworkers was playing her ipod, and a few songs in a row came on that sounded like bad covers of popular songs. One of the songs was "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry. I am so tired of this song & I think it's overplayed - however this cover sounded like crap. I finally said out loud, "Who covered this song? It sounds horrible." My coworker either didn't hear me, or pretended not to. Another coworker laughed and agreed with me, but disclosed to me later that it was the other coworker's daughter. Apparently the stage mom paid for recording studio time and made a demo for her little Yoko Ono clone. I felt kind of embarrassed for saying something mean about the song, but then I felt bad for the mom. Does she feel obligated to encourage her untalented daughter, or is she really that blind and think her kid's talented? I don't have kids of my own, but I do have two stepdaughters; one of which can actually sing pretty well for her age (she's 10), but she's not at the level where she should start making demos. I don't gush and tell her how great she is and that she could be the next American Idol (or what have you). I have told her the truth: she's pretty good, but could use alot of lessons and practice. You know what, she's fine with that and still sings her heart out. I would have a weight of tremendous guilt if I felt I had to lie to my child to save their feelings, yet knowing I'm setting them up for bigger rejection and heartbreak. Parents - do you encourage your kids even though you know they are untalented in their preferred outlet? That they could be shot down and have their dreams shattered because someone (whose opinions they value more than yours) told them the truth? If you do or don't, do you think it's cruel to support your kid’s dreams when maybe you might consider guiding them into something they'd actually be good at? Do you just let them deal with the rejection on their own? I know my opinion of the daughter's singing isn't important, I never implied that. I'm just asking if it's better to be honest than encourage a doomed dream. This woman actually put money into her awful singing kid and is looking for representation. I agree wholeheartedly that kids need to be encouraged to at least try and do their best - but not lie to them telling them they're great at [blank].... Read More »
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