Family Talent Night

Marcia Biewer, Utah, USA

When our kids were young, we used to invite family friends to share a special family home evening with us. We started by having a dinner that our children helped prepare and serve, and then we had a talent night that featured the children’s talents. They could sing a song, recite a poem, tell a joke, share artwork, juggle, perform a duet with mom or an acrobatic trick with dad—whatever they wanted to rehearse to share. Our guests were the judges, and they gave awards for best song, funniest joke, most unique act, and so forth. Each child was awarded a certificate for his or her talent and participation. The goal of those family home evenings was to instill in the children’s minds the idea of serving and supporting one another and of sharing their talents with others. Our first talent night began a special tradition that we enjoyed for the next few years, with the preparations beginning weeks in advance.