Career Choices
"Daddy, you know what I want to be when I grow up?"
"What, son?"
"An animal explorer."
"I would support that."
"I want to go all over the world to Africa."
"OK."
"And I also want to be a candy maker."
"That's also a fine career."
"You know what they call that?"
"No."
"A flurbie!"
"Since when is a candy maker is called a flurbie?"
"No, daddy! An animal explorer combined with a candy maker is called a flurbie!"
"Oh."
"Everyone knows that."
"Well, then, be a flurbie if you want."
"I also want to be an animal explorer, candy maker, and babysitter."
"If you need the extra cash, that's cool."
"You know what that's called?"
"No."
"A gwirbie!"
You know, sometimes I just think he makes this shit up.
Parents: What are your children's fanciful and probably heartbreakingly unrealizable career goals?
Comments
Unfortunately, Maia's current career goals are to be a painter like her mother AND a writer like her father.
Luckily, her dad was--and mom still is--a software developer... so we'll be sure to mix in object-modeling with lessons in metaphor construction and recursion theory with the color theory.
But then... by the time she's out of college, software developers in the U.S. will probably be about as lowly-paid as writers and painters. So who knows?
Posted by: minnesotaj | June 27, 2007 12:29 PM
A panda. I'm not sure what the projected market is on those.
Posted by: DJ Cayenne | June 27, 2007 2:06 PM
Jack wants to be a robotics engineer. He's 6 and can't tie his shoes yet.
Posted by: jk | June 27, 2007 3:34 PM
My son wants to turn Australia into a wildlife preserve for all the endangered animals on the planet.
Posted by: Pixie | June 27, 2007 7:53 PM
Oh, & my younger son wants to be a princess.
Posted by: Pixie | June 27, 2007 7:55 PM
Well my husband is a sailor and I'm a painter. My oldest son currently wants to join the navy (he's four). But before that he wanted to be an actor. He made certain to tell me that he was going to be up on stage and not on tv.
Posted by: Ashley | June 28, 2007 7:22 AM
My kid is only 6 months old, but I'm betting he wants to grow up to be a professional "Ladies Man", or a "Professional Flirt".
Posted by: Karla | June 28, 2007 8:33 AM
Up until he was five, Isaac wanted to be a cardiologist. Would watch video clips of open heart surgery over and over. Since he turned six and we started watching Shalom in the Home as a family, he's decided he wants to be a bus driving rabbi. Samara, his twin, wanted to be a princess ballerina for quite some time. Then a professional "colorer"/artist and Frida Kahlo was her favorite artist. Now she's decided she wants to make art people can eat- chef. Shoshana, five, has leaned toward stand-up comedian, but now seems more interested in jazz singing. Oddly, I don't find any of these careers fanciful or heartbreakingly unrealizable.
Posted by: Sabra | June 28, 2007 12:08 PM
My son wants to play baseball for Microsoft.
Posted by: Tim Elhajj | June 28, 2007 2:07 PM
I don't have a kid of my own yet, but my friend's little boy wants to be a professional figure skater. He is five, and they have enrolled him in lessons. (He is actually quite promising. We are all very proud, if a little shocked.) He also owns three tea sets and collection of skirts. Oh, and one tiara.
Posted by: Missy | June 28, 2007 2:44 PM
Hi AD,
When my kiddo was three he wanted to be Batman. Then he wanted to be a baseball player, a fireman, and Batman. Two years ago he wanted to skateboard professionally. These days, he wants to go to college, ("and one for smart people, Mom!")study art, and travel to Japan.
Posted by: Alana | June 28, 2007 2:45 PM
Last time our cleaning ladies came, my 2yo son told my husband on the way to school that he wanted to be a cleaning lady when he gets bigger.
Posted by: Heather Abel | July 1, 2007 6:35 PM
Our almost 4 year old wants to be a tree climber.
Posted by: Tara | July 2, 2007 8:57 PM
Last night my three-year old told me she wants to be a doctor. I was a little disappointed because prior to this she wanted to be a butterfly, and a part-time hair comber.
Posted by: Oddwitha-T | July 3, 2007 7:43 AM
Spider-Man. (He's 4.)
Posted by: Venice Mamacita | July 3, 2007 8:35 PM