I remember crying in Kindergarten when my teacher insisted that each student announce what they wanted to be when they grew up.
I was a shy child whose parents split up when I was three and we moved around a lot, so talking in front of a group was far from being ‘fun’. (By the end of Elementary School, I couldn’t stop talking, so there was a weird life symmetry there! ha!) Anyhow, I remember thinking to myself, “How would I know what I want to be?!! I am only five!”
The result of the silence and all eyes on me: tears.
Fast forward to 6th grade.
It was a similar situation, but this time, the teacher asked us to think about what we wanted to be when we grew up. This time, I did. I put a lot of thought into it. I had friends who named the profession of their mother or father. Some wanted to be what they considered a ‘hero job’: a doctor, a firefighter. For me, I had always loved Art. Always. Yet, I thought being an Artist meant standing on a sidewalk with my paintings and hoping to sell something, so I could have money to eat! Thus, Art was never something I considered as a plausible career.
Instead, I came up with two things. I was 11 years old, and I knew I wanted to be…
A mother.
Happy.
I’ve always loved kids and thought the coolest thing in the entire World would be to be a mom. To have kids. To hold babies. To love them unconditionally. To teach them skills and help shape them to be confident and good people.
And happy. I didn’t know what job I wanted. I didn’t think about income, industry, or position. I didn’t care about the details. I just knew that whatever my career would be, I needed to be happy.
So going full circle here, I am now a business owner of something I am passionate about: creating art. I am also a mother of little humans who test my patience sometimes (haha), but they make me grow and learn and teach. They make me want to always see the World as a silver lining, to find good in people. I can humbly say that I am happier with them in my World.
Thank you — yes, YOU — for sharing in my journey!
Now why on Earth am I thinking about all this?
Well, my littlest monkey just turned 6 years old. (These photos are from her 6 year old photoshoot.) She is in Kindergarten, and I remembered how I was asked that question when I was her age. Unlike me, however, Avie knows what she wants to be when she grows up. A singer. Well, not any ordinary singer. A Singing Baker. So in a few years, if you hear about a bakery that just opened up where the baker sings, you’ll know it’s my child! 🙂
When I grow up (hey, I’m still growing!), I want to be where I am now. But just older.
