Monday, August 17, 2009

What do you want to be when you grow up?

As I've mentioned before, I have four children. The oldest is starting college today. Her plan is to become a graphic artist. My second oldest graduates from high school this year, and he is thinking along the lines of a journalism career. My youngest two are about to begin second grade, and right now, they answer the above question with a variety of answers:

"I want to be a rock star!", "I want to be a fireman!", "I want to be a doctor!", and "I want to be a scientist!" are all the most recent lifetime goals for my seven year-old boys. However, no matter which answer they give me, it is always followed up with, "But I'll live with you forever!"

Ahh, isn't that sweet? Of course, they don't believe me when I tell them that their older sister and brother used to have the same sentiment, and that someday, they'll be looking forward to moving out of their parents' home, just as their older siblings are.

But the topic today isn't about what my kids want to be when they grow up, it's about what I wanted to be before I became a writer. I'm sure I had all sorts of interesting thoughts when I was as young as my boys are, but I only remember one of them: I wanted to be a figure skater.

Yes, really. This came from a girl who had never ice skated in her life, but that didn't stop me from dreaming big. Because, you know, the figure skaters on TV were so graceful and so beautiful, that I wanted to be just like them. Obviously, that young dream never came true--in fact, to this day, I have never worn a pair of ice skates!

Later in life, I gave up on my figure skating dream. Which, seeing as I am not, nor have I ever been, the most graceful of girls, is probably (no, definitely) for the best! Somewhere toward the end of elementary school, I decided I wanted to be a nurse when I grew up. I kept on to this dream through most of high school, but somewhere along the way, gave that one up too, and instead, focused on marketing and business, but at the same time, the writer dream began.

And honestly, from the day that dream started, it's the one that has never left. Writing is my true calling. It's the one thing, besides my family and friends, that is a constant. It will always be a constant. And guess what? In my stories, I can be a figure skater, or a nurse, or anything else I dream up.

For my little boys who want to be a rock star scientist and a fire fighting doctor, I say more power to them. Because I believe that the real power of the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" is wrapped up in dreams.

Keep dreaming. If one dream ends, a new one will take its place, and you never know which one will come true.

6 comments:

~*Jessica Rabbit*~ said...

I had so many things I wanted to be.A ballerina,a princess,a fairy,an ice skater (never been on ice a day in my life.)G.I. Joe,a model,an actress,a treasure hunter,a mommy,a nurse,a monster truck driver,a nascar driver,a big time movie star...*coughs* a power ranger (specifically the pink one.)We didn't have much growing up and to make up for what I didn't have I lived in my little world of make belief where I became everything imaginable.I still do,lol.
Now my dream is to be a writer even if no one reads the books but me.These are after all things that have happend in my own little world...my adventures in Jessica Rabbit land.LOL.I still wish to be a movie star though it isn't as strong as the published writer dream.Well I am a writer I just ain't published yet...so I dream to be a published writer.

...and a kick arse vampire/vampire hunter/pirate.

I bite you. V---V argh.LOL!

Maureen Lipinski said...

Exactly! Dreams only come true with a lot of hard work and effort.

Tracy Madison said...

LOL, Jessica: a power ranger? I LOVE THAT!

Maureen: I see it as the dream must come first, but yep, then you need to be ready to put forth the work. For me, though, it all starts with dreaming.

~*Jessica Rabbit*~ said...

Oh come on!Didn't everyone want to be the Power Rangers?

It's morphen time! *Strikes famous power ranger pose* LOL!

Jillian Cantor said...

I wanted to be a figure skater once, too, but that dream was short lived after I realized what a disaster I was on ice!

Lesley Livingston said...

What a great post! No wonder that 'writing' is that one thing, out of everything else, that became the 'calling'.

Although I love the idea of wanting to become a figure skater, never having owned skates. Kinda like me and the jockey thing.

Jessica: Power Ranger. Awesome.