Can pretty much everyone in your family sing?
Play an instrument?
Fix things without knowing “how” to fix them?
Math whizzes?
Writers?
Artists?
If so, how far back does it go? Are there stories of how well your great-great-great grandmother danced/sang/whatever?
No reason for me asking. I’m just curious.
I like this concept, SnoopyFan, and have wondered about it for a long time.
I’m going to stay within the generation of my parents, their siblings, and their offspring. Aunts, uncles, cousins. Can’t do much in older generations except by hearsay.
Wordplay, fascination with puzzles and games. Great senses of humor, some of it dark and sardonic. Easy and glib conversation. Trivia hounds. The “did you know that…” sort of thing.
Musically, it’s a mixed bag. Some virtually tone deaf, but most can/could at least sing on key. Instruments range from piano (dominantly) to guitar, banjo, fiddle, drums, but, as best I can recall, nobody ever played professionally (unless you count playing for church services) or in organized musical groups like bands or orchestras.
Math abilities also wide-ranging, but I believe most could/can solve algebra problems with little strain. No geniuses, but at least one is a math professor at a college.
Writers and artists in the same basic category as musicians. Capable but not public about it. No pros, in other words.
Only a few real Mr. Fix-it types, though mostly capable of doing needed minor repairs. One uncle was a whiz and could build/fix anything he set his mind to.
In a few words generally: well-rounded, fun, entertaining, witty
Me and my parents have very flexible, double-jointed fingers… Talent? Maybe. 
Chess. My grand father was a decent player; my father was a strong board-player when he was young (representing the part of The Netherlands he lived in in national team championships), and Dutch correspondence chess champion in his seventies; I played a decent game of chess when I was (much) younger: ELO rating about 2000. At that time, I lost many games to my elder brother although he only played recreational chess and never looked at a chess book in his life - he could have been a really strong player if he had put his mind to it.
All the siblings are pretty quick witted, except for my sister, who is a nit wit. Besides that, we all read fairly quickly ( is that a talent?)
Science/Mathematics. All my family - mum’s side and dad’s side seem to have a way with numbers and all things technical. Its scary.
analysts… My father is a nuclear and fluid engineer. My brother a Mechanical engineer, sister successful business owner. I am an environmental psychologist, the analytical gene surpassed me. I am the visionary of the family. My mom and I are. I can play chess with the best of them, (and was rated once in college) but my dad still can kick my ass if he really wants to. My wife is a visionary as well, we love to create with our hands and go on adventures.
As per your other thread, I have a neice who is entering grad school in astro-physics.
As lame as this sounds … standardized testing. The whole family (parents, brother, me) have been National Merit semifinalists; most of us have ended up getting other goodies as well, such as free grad school and, perhaps more to the point in my father’s case, Not Being Sent to Vietnam.
Dunno about our parents, but my brother’s and my gift for standardized testing far exceeds our actual academic abilities. Neither of us is complaining.
My father is a world class bullshit artist.
Me, I just babble too much.
Everyone of my brothers and sisters and both my parents are exellent cooks - no one ever goes hungry at any of our houses.
Although, I wonder if this is a talent or a learned skill given that we’ve all spent years perfecting our craft.
Both my mom, my grandma, and I write/wrote at some point. I’ve done the most with it so far, but both of them were above average.
My dad, my sister, and I are all good at math (though my sister and I both HATE the subject, we’re both pretty good at it).
Music, definitely. Dad went to school on a music scholarship, met mom at a music camp where she was singing. Brother plays guitar and banjo. Dad plays… damn near anything he wants. I have come to the table late (over 30 years late), but I’m learning and finding it fun, not tedious as I had always thought it might be. I know my grandfather was musically inclined also.
Most of the people in my family are very good at math, and almost all the men on both sides are very handy when it comes to building things and working on cars. If you put us all together in the garage, it very quickly becomes apparent that I’m the one who was adopted . . .
But I’m good at art, which is more than can be said for most of the rest of the family!
Computers and books. I’m the third librarian in my family. Most of the others are computer science types.
Also, we all have a weird sense of humor and laugh a lot. The odd part is that you think my dad is a comedian until you meet his siblings and realize that he’s the straight man.
Math. Everyone in the family is good with numbers (and it’s odd that I never even thought about that until now).
My father could drink anyone under the table, so could every single one of his brothers and sisters. My sister and I have inherited this trait, at a recent party my sister and I ended up having to lug a number of people into sofas and beds, because at the end of the night we were the only ones who were not passed out drunk.
Maternal grandfather could blow a mean harmonica.
Father played accordion amazingly well - he could pick up almost anything by ear.
Mother has a strong, clear singing voice. She’s often asked to sing funerals at her church.
I play accordion a little, guitar a little more, piano a little less, and I sing pretty well.
My three sisters have all danced in folk groups at various times.
My youngest sister is a real people person - it’s a true gift.
My brother is a real BS artist. He’s also an amazing businessman, but in a social situation, he’ll tell a tale that’ll keep you in stitches.
Father-in-law is supposedly a good singer - I’ve never heard him sing, tho.
Mother-in-law is artistic.
Husband is a natural problem-solver - a natural engineer. He’s also amazing when handling boats.
Daughter is a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none type - she tries lots of things, but she hasn’t found her one strong suit yet. She has a very high math aptitude, but she doesn’t share her parents’ interest in engineering - we shall see…
My people, on Dad’s side, are voracious readers with a talent for remembering useless information. We also have an inborn talent for vicious, razor-deadly sarcasm, which we must strive to keep in check.
My people, on Dad’s side, are voracious readers with a talent for remembering useless information. We also have an inborn talent for vicious, razor-deadly sarcasm, which we must strive to keep in check.
All the males in my family, excluding my father, can fit their fists into their mouths. It has proginated as well, my two nephews and neice have the talent. I haven’t attempted to teach my 3 year old. Not yet.