"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
This is a very scary question when you are a child. "Am I signing a contract forever? Will this be the best choice for my life that would make me happy? What if I don't like being a Doctor or Fireman?" I never gave a specific answer because I truly never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Even if I did give an answer, I was not certain what it meant and how life would be as a fireman or doctor. One certain thing I did know for a fact, I wanted to be a great parent.
Fast forward a few dozen years when I'm 60, had I become a fireman, I'm sure I would have done great things such as saving lives, helping others, all while earning a good living for my family. I am pretty certain that if I had become a Doctor, I would have had very similar experiences. More importantly, how would either of these career paths effect my ability to be a great parent? These are questions and issues most parents are concerned about.
Now that I'm older I realize that both of these jobs require demanding hours and schedules that would affect my family life. Would I miss precious moments and milestones with my family like a child's first step, the honor choir concert or their first day of school? Even worse, what if I was not available to comfort my child when they got injured or bullied at school?
As a child I had no idea of the dynamics of being an adult and selecting a career. I did know early on that I wanted to leave this World a better place and do wonderful things. A career choice may allow me to accomplish this goal, sure. Fortunately, when I was a child, I knew that if I were to be the best parent ever, my legacy will live on through my children and for that reason, I decided to go to school and learn to become the best parent that I could be. With that, I chose Communication and Family Studies as my emphasis.
I married an incredible lady that shared the same passion for children and together we raised two incredible children. In the past 18 years there have been countless moments and examples reaffirming that I made the right decision. My favorite confirming examples are when parents, teachers, and adults went out of their way to commend my wife and I on how wonderful and charming our children are.
To my daughter and son, when your strong sense of self-esteem allows you to confront dogma and challenges on your own, we know. When you select friends that share the same goals and aspirations as you do and we see the group winning academic achievement awards, we know. When you so freely drop what you are doing to help a stranger in need and you assist in any way you can, we know. I could never have imagined that my answer to this simple question would have or could have manifested into such beautiful and rewarding life choice.
Let's assume that the question at hand came with some magical powers and the given response was destined for reality. Let's say I replied and was guaranteed the Presidency of the United States, I would say No Thank You if it would affect in any way my ability to be a great parent.
To all parents and future parents, you have more control than you think regarding the legacy you will leave behind. During our short time span on this precious planet Earth remember this, your children will survive you and nothing is more rewarding than knowing that they will be safe, strong, and happy in life because you sacrificed selfish wants and needs and gave them your undivided time and energy they so dearly deserve in life. You cannot choose your parents, but you can choose to parent.
Love Dad
