The other day my six-year-old son was asked to give a talk in our church’s children’s program. So we sat down together to write out what he was going to say. First I explained what the topic meant then I began to write. He stopped me saying, “Mom, that’s not what I want to say.” So I had to cross it all out and start over. This time he told me exactly what to write. The only problem was that he is only six-years-old and tends to ramble. So I wrote something that I thought conveyed his ideas but wasn’t exactly what he said. He looked at the paper then informed me, “I’m not going to read that.” I explained that I had written numerous talks and knew what I was doing. So began a battle of wills that ended by compromising. My son would tell me what to write and if I felt it didn’t make sense I could suggest an alternative that he then had to okay. Finally his talk was finished and he did a great job reading it to the group of children in church.
At the time I was frustrated with him and just wanted to finish the talk. Looking back I realize how much this experience demonstrates my son’s confidence and ability. Although only six-years-old he is already sure enough about himself that he wants to share his thoughts not mine. He is positive that what he has to say is just as important as what I have to say. And after all, as he reminded me numerous times throughout the process, it was his talk.
The second thing I learned was that he is smart. Even though he rambled a little bit he completely understood the concept that he was trying to teach in his talk. He felt the more times he stated the concept the better the talk. I tried to teach him that sometimes less is more, but the important thing was that he knew what he wanted to say.
The last thing that impressed me was his confidence in addressing the other children. Often times, children his age become shy and talk quietly when addressing an audience. He spoke loudly and clearly. He was completely sure of himself. I could see him becoming the high-school speech star (although his father would prefer track or football star).
As I listened to him present his talk it hit me that I had played a major part in instilling the confidence that emanated from him. His father and I are constantly telling him that he is smart and that with enough work he can do anything he wants. The result – a happy, confident kid who knows that he has good ideas and isn’t afraid to share them.