What Do you Want to Be When You Grow Up?

My elementary schoolmates were an optimistic bunch. I remember some of my friends aspiring to be marine biologists,actresses and even professional female basketball players. I remember shaking my head and thinking, or maybe I said it out loud, that they were pretty far-fetched career expectations. My parents didn't believe in the, "you can do anything you put your mind to," motto that must have prevailed throughout the public educational system during the 80s. My parents made it clear there were some things that I simply could not do and encouraged me to set realistic and attainable goals. Damn them, right?!?! I could have been the first female president! But seriously, how many of us are where we thought we'd be at 30, 35 or 40? With all this optimism and positive attitude shit that was shoved down our throats, it seems we have always been a generation doomed to feel like failures, because we were told to see no limits.

I wanted to be a Family and Marriage Therapist. I also wanted to get married and have a family, like everyone else had when I was growing up. I wanted what I thought any normal, average person was capable of achieving. Although my goals and expectations were relatively simple and seemingly attainable, I still failed miserably. Setting goals and having a plan certainly didn't help me.

So, two roads diverged and I chose the road less travelled? Fuck no! More like a gate came crashing down in front of me, making the road I wanted to travel inaccessible. I was blindfolded, spun in circles, then released to wander aimlessly in the dark, dizzy, tripping and falling along the way.

It makes me wonder what kind of shit sandwich with a side of lies they're feeding my kid at school. Violet told me that she wanted to be an artist the other day. And being the realist and party-pooper that I am, I informed her that not many people make a adequate living as artists. True, it is possible, but highly unlikely.

Kids' athletics now give out trophies to all participants. There is no MVP. Most of the time, I don't even think they keep score! Are we trying to set these kids up just to knock them down in the future? Reality will eventually be rearing it's ugly head,and in life there is always a winner and a loser. I think we're making damn fools out of kids today. We let them believe that life revolves around them and their soccer, ballet, gymnastics, girl scouts, etc. Soon enough they'll realize that life does not revolve around them, they are not "special," despite the sliver of "talent" or "creativity" they were told they had. Then what?

To be continued...