While Grandma was here, Kiddo had the opportunity to give her first talk (called a spiritual thought around here) in Primary. Not that this was her first crack at the microphone, no, Kiddo has done plenty of assigned readings, and prayers, but this was our first chance to prepare something together. But I could never get her to participate in putting some ideas down. Trust me, I thought about just writing it myself, but I know my child, and I knew she needed to be involved.
I was finally ready to force the issue on Thursday, when she announced she would write it with Grandma. Since Grandma is the primary expert of the family, I gladly gave up the assignment. But she wouldn't talk to Grandma about it either.
By Saturday I was desperate. We were in the car to help Kiddo get a present for Babs (another event that took more patience than I had) and Grandma had put together some ideas (which we talked to Kiddo about). We were trying to help her say the talk, but she wouldn't. I finally said (although not the first time) "What do you want to say?"
She then launched into a 10 minute talk about her day, and all we'd done. It started "I'd like to share my talk with you today..." and kept going from there. Kiddo is without guile. She reported her misdeeds (yelling and crying outside the store) and mine (telling her no, we couldn't stay at the aquarium) with equal, and brutal, honesty. I may have been most impressed by her correct use of tenses; knowing her talk would be given the next day, she constantly referred to all the activities as having occurred yesterday. I was also impressed at how much she has picked up from church. Most talks do start out with "I'd like to share..." And they certainly seem to talk a lot about whatever the person wants to tell, especially to a 4 year old's perspective.
I warmly praised her talk, then tried to gently point out that 1) it needed to be shorter, and 2) we should talk a little more of Christ. So we cut out a lot of the talk, then practiced it a few times. (She's also learned from Primary that mom's should help the kid's give their talks, which is a blessing for me.) But then she would practice no more. Absolutely no more.
Unfortunately, she thought she was speaking in Sacrament Meeting (the meeting with the entire congregation, adults and children), so she was a little disappointed about that. But when it was time for her talk in Primary she was ready. And I had no idea what she would say.
After the essential first line "I'd like to share my talk with you today" she started talking about the aquarium, the dolphin show, the macaw, the person dressed up like a puffin... (don't you wish I'd blogged about that too?). I could see this was not meeting either of my two original points, so I helped her out. I fed her a sentence about how grateful we are for God's creations (which to her defense she had already mentioned once, and then kept going), and then gave her the closing line of all talks and prayers.
I love that she has no fear, that she wants to share her thoughts, and that she is paying attention in church. She makes me so proud.
