Our son Aidan, who is 11 years old and has Down syndrome, announced last spring that he wanted to sing in the school talent show. He'd even decided on his act: a rendition of "Soul Man," by the Blues Brothers. My husband, Phil, and I weren't sure what to do. Aidan does have John Belushi's body, and he can dance up a storm. But he can't carry a tune and doesn't really know how to play the guitar (although he thinks he does). Plus, he didn't even know the song's lyrics. Still, we believed Aidan deserved his moment of onstage glory. We just had to figure out how to make it happen.

Our goal for Aidan from day one has been to give him as normal a childhood as we can. His disability does not change his desire to do the usual kid things -- ride a bike, play on a team, climb trees, be a rock star. Even though it's sometimes difficult, either because an activity is harder for him physically or because other people assume that he can't do it (or don't take the time to show him how), when he wants to take on a new challenge, we try to find a way. He's played on basketball and soccer teams and taken kung fu classes.

But I was worried about that talent show. To avoid hours of kids mouthing the words of pop tunes, the school had banned lip-synching. And even if Aidan did manage to get his song ready, I was afraid he might panic or, worse, refuse to get off the stage.

A few days later, I was out in the driveway talking with a friend, fretting about this situation and hoping Aidan would forget the whole thing. Then I looked into the backyard and had a revelation: We have a barn ... Why not hold our own talent show there? And with Aidan's birthday looming, why not combine the show with his party? Aidan was thrilled with the idea. So thrilled, in fact, that it was hard to imagine how we'd survive the coming weeks until the first annual North Main Street Talent and Variety Show. He told his best friends next door, and the kids started busily working on their acts.