Do you want your kids to follow in your footsteps, career wise? Tyler has announced that when he grows up he wants to be a writer. Why not, he’s been around books all of his life. He’s witnessed me toiling day in and day out, literally burning the midnight oil doing research or trying to beat a deadline. He knows that eventually a check comes in the mail along with a copy of the article that I worked so hard on. He’s proud of what I do and tells everyone that his mom is a writer. He’s been walking around for the past month with a magazine that has an article I wrote about Pompeii in it. He whips it out and shows it to his classmates, friends and total strangers. It’s embarrassing yet strangely satisfying to know that he’s proud of what I do.
On various occasions, he has said that he wanted to be a lawyer, doctor, school crossing guard, firefighter, teacher- the list goes on and on. However, lately he seems to have gotten serious about being a writer. It’s kind of cute actually, to see this little kid walking around with a notepad “writing” stories. What surprised me yesterday was that the story he was writing was logical and his spelling was flawless. I have to keep reminding myself that he’s just six-years-old. I had to remind myself of this fact two weeks ago when I beat him by just 30 points in Scrabble. And this was the first time we had played!
So back to my original question, do I want him to follow in my footsteps? A part of me wants to say yes. Writing is the most fulfilling thing I have ever done. However, there are certainly drawbacks of this profession, especially if you decide to freelance. The endless cycle of query-wait-query-wait-query-wait, is not for the faint of heart. Obstacles crop of daily. Yesterday I was supposed to interview a very famous TV and film star. The interview was cancelled because she had to rehearse. I have a Monday deadline and I am still waiting to find out when she will be able to do the interview. This after nearly two weeks of back and forth just to get the original interview scheduled. Do I want my son to experience this constant stress? Is it worth it?
In the end, I would say that I would be honored if he follows the same path that I have chosen. Writing is as noble a profession as being a doctor, a lawyer or a teacher. However, I certainly won’t nudge him in this direction. I want it to be his choice. Exposing him to what I do has given him a hint of the writing life but I also try to expose him to the myriad other professions available to him. Simply by exposing him to life. It’s never too early for kids to start thinking about career paths. Of course, by the time he has to make the big decision he probably will have changed his mind a dozen times. No matter what he chooses- writer, doctor, lawyer, Indian Chief- the most important thing I can do , as a parent, is to support is choice.
See also:
Before Choosing a College Major
Using Tools of Your Trade to Teach Your Kids