When I was a very little girl, I wanted to be a hairdresser when I grew up. Didn’t all little girls want to be hairdressers?

As I got a bit older, around 8 years of age, I changed my mind. I decided I wanted to be an air hostess (flight attendant). Then I went on my first ever plane trip and experienced the extreme earache that I now deal with on Every. Single. Flight. Yeah, that dream was kinda shot down, right there at 30,000 feet.

I can’t recall what I wanted to be after that, but by the time I entered my teenage years, I had decided that I wanted to be a doctor. That dream carried me all the way through high school and my first year of University. But after getting a taste of the wide range of subjects available in the area of Medical Science, I opted for a slightly different career path. I majored in Pharmacology (the study of how medicines work) and became a medical writer. I’m totally content with my choice of career. And they all lived happily ever after …

Lately, my boys have been talking a lot about what they want to do when they grow up. Ethan has been asking us what WE think he should do. I told him it is too early to know where his real talents and interests lie, but that he will figure those things out over the coming years. But I didn’t want to stifle his enthusiasm, so to further stimulate the conversation, I asked him what HE thought he would like to be.

His answer?

An ice cream truck driver.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the boy thinks ice cream truck drivers get all the free ice cream they want. And I’m guessing that could be part (or perhaps all) of his motivation behind this choice?

Tyler has already had a couple of ambitions in his few short years on earth.

Until recently, he wanted to be the guy who fixes playgrounds. Again, I think the idea of being able to play on said playgrounds before/after fixing them featured highly in his thinking!

However, he has changed his mind now, and wants to work on a garbage truck. He says it will be fun to “ride along on the back, jump off, throw the bags in the back, and jump back on”. Hmmm. Definitely good exercise there, but I’m not sure he realises how much those trucks STINK!

While I am not one to dissuade my children from their desires and dreams, I have to be honest here, and admit that I have *slightly* higher hopes for them both.

Thankfully, my own experience has taught me that dreams do change over time, and once the right “fit” is found, everything falls into place. I also know, from experience, that those dreams can only come to fruition with the right nurturing and a lot of hard work. So at the end of the day, I will encourage my boys in whatever they choose to do, even if their choices take me by surprise.

I can’t wait to discover, along with my boys, what their next big dreams and ambitions will be. Judging by the conversations we’re having right now, I just know they will bring a smile to my face!