When my daughter was four, she wanted to be a tap dancing tightrope walker. If you asked her today, she’d probably tell you she’s going to be a dog trainer/fashion designer/singer. When I was younger, I wanted to be a dolphin trainer, editor of a New York fashion magazine, and Barbara Streisand.

How our children answer this question is something we parents find endlessly fascinating. It gives us a peek into our kids’ minds and hints about how they see themselves. It can also be terribly entertaining to hear responses unconstrained by the limits of reality. I love when kids let loose with their imaginations and reach out enthusiastically for a brassring of their own design – first ice cream maker on the moon, world’s best singing submarine pilot, or elephant pedicurist.

Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite authors, tells a story about when he was a precocious young man with an answer for everything. As he tells it, when a visiting adult commented on how bright he was and suggested that perhaps someday he’d be Prime Minister, young Gaiman responded that he certainly hoped he’d be something much better than that. That made me smile. Children aren’t saddled with the same society-driven hierarchy that most of us accept as part of Real Life. They don’t consider being the President of the United States a superior aspiration to being a balloon artist. They make their vocational choices from the heart.

If only we were all able to do that. Or, perhaps I should say, if only we could keep doing that as we grew up – hold onto the conviction that the thing that makes us happy is the right thing to pursue. But, it’s hard. Too soon, our dreams of pachyderm pedicures give way to more “respectable” career choices. Our unique and impassioned visions fade away, replaced by options that fit more neatly into traditional educational paths and career plans.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be a doctor, a lawyer, a fireman, or a clerk. If that’s where your passion lies, go for it! But how delightful is the grown up who turns childhood passions into a living? Who doesn’t love stories about the dancer who began choreographing ballets at the age of six or the artisan baker who was testing recipes in mom’s kitchen after morning Kindergarten classes. There is something magical about people who seem “born to do” … something heroic about the consistent, persistent, and unwavering pursuit of a personal passion.

I’d love to see my daughter grow up to be a tap dancing tightrope walker – whatever makes her heart sing. As for me, I’m slowly coming back around to recreating my life around my childhood passions. It’s not easy, but it feels wonderful! I highly recommend the adventure.

What do your kids want to be when they grow up? Do their answers surprise you, or scare you? What did you want to be when you were a kid? Did you wind up doing that?

Image Credit: Norma Desmond