Hope I'm putting this topic in the right place, if not I'm sure Ken will move it for me. Some people seem to know from the time they can talk what they want to grow up and do with their lives, while others make up their mind later, some settle for whatever comes their way, and some are still trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. My Mom used to tell me she knew what I wanted to be before I did. The third of nine siblings my Mom told me as young as I was I was always climbing in the cribs of my younger siblings and taking them out of them where I would proceed to "mother" them all. She was always worried that I would drop one of them...but she said I never did. I can remember mothering the last three of my siblings like that, my baby sister even shared my bedroom with me and I got up at night to give her a bottle and rock her, etc. I can remember rocking two of my younger brothers and singing them to sleep at naptimes. I did all these things naturally without thinking about this at all...and the funny thing about it was I was a full blow tomboy at the same time. I could out run, out wrestle my brothers, climb trees and shoot the BB gun and 22 better than they could and I would get up early on the weekends go dig me up some worms and head off to my favorite fishing spots. I even played baseball and football with the best of them. Later on during my school years I would read about Florence Nightingale and consider becoming a Nurse when I grew up. But I hated their white uniforms back then...still don't like all white to this day for whatever reason. Then in High School some Career Day people came to talk to us about different careers...and I considered becoming an Airline Stewardess, but realized that wouldn't work because I don't like flying. Tried it once and said never again until God gives me my wings! In my young adulthood I worked in a movie theater, went to Secretarial School, and ended up being a Secretary for a few years. I also worked in Sales in a fancy ladies clothing boutique for a while. I took that job because I liked the clothes they sold and could afford to buy them with the great discount I got when I worked there. My jobs being a Secretary finally led me to the career my heart longed for. I became an Administrative Assistant to a man who needed one, then when the CEO found out how well I was doing, he reassigned me to be his Executive Secretary. So my former boss asked me to marry him and since we had been developing a relationship...I said yes. A year later I found out we were going to have a baby and all of a sudden I found exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up! Being a wife and mother to my three daughters was and still is the most important thing I've ever done with my life...although the world might not see it that way. From the moment I realized that this was what I wanted to be when I grew up...there was no more wondering or searching for me. I did do other things once in a while to help ends meet if my husband needed me to do so, but my career was my family and still is. Now that my children are all grown with families of their own I often lend a hand with the grandchildren. I'm a born nurturer by heart and always will be. Yet there is plenty of me time now too and who knows what's next for me now that I'm all grown up. How about you? What did you want to be when you grew up? And where did you end up?
I never had a fixed idea of what I wanted to do really, I just liked the life I was having reading and listening to music. I was very influenced by my fathers love of electronics and gadgets, so I eventually drifted into the electronics industry and spent the rest of my life moving from one area of work to another, eventually ending up in the world of holistic therapy, via catering. I love being retired that is my best occupation so far, I guess there is nowhere else to go from here but into a box and being recycled.
I wanted to be many things, archeologist, teacher, stewardess, model, social worker. Wanted to join the peace corps after high school....my father laughed at that one. My major in college was French. Then I panicked and didnt know what I wanted to do with that, dropped out and then got married and had my two children. That was really my first dream...to be a mommy. I succeeded. Made it to the top in my field. I was a success! Now I have a second career as grandmother and again...I'm the best.
Part of me wanted to be a cowboy and wound up being involved in pro-rodeo with a horse and wearing Western clothes. Another part of me wanted to be a State Trooper and I wound up working around law enforcement in emergency medical. Another part of me wanted to be in the military and I wound up in the Navy. Another part of me wanted to be a drummer for a rock band. Part of that goal was met. Guess I made my goals.
I remember that I wanted to join the Navy and be a Wack? That changed quickly when I went to the recruiting office and was teased by the guys there. Then I wanted to become an executive secretary but only got as far as a receptionist/secretary. Then I wanted to start my own word processing service that was going well until I started working as a temp which I experienced a lot of fields that a secretary could be in other than for businesses. I landed a job as a billing secretary for a counseling center part of a local hospital and loved it. I then transferred to the outpatient health center as a medical biller and insurance until I was laid off. So yes, I reached my goal in a round about way.
@Von Jones. You reminded me of the time I decided to go take the tests for the Air Force and Army. My dad was in both those Services and was my influence for thinking of joining up. I made the highest score in our home town on those tests...and the Recruiters really wanted me to enlist...they promised me all kinds of things. It all sounded to good to be true and in the end I decided I didn't want anyone to "own me" for a few years. My life could have gone a whole different way if I would have chosen that path.
Since the Draft was going to be on my tail, I enlisted in the Navy right before high school graduation. Then, during my 3rd week at Basic, when some guys were being sent home due to medical problems, I called my step-parents and was told that my Draft Notice had come in. I was told, "you'd better hope the Navy keeps you or you'll wind up somewhere you really don't want to be (on the ground in Nam fighting and trying to stay alive).
At the age of seven I saw my first library, and that was it for me. I want to grow up and be a Old Maid Librian. Funny I know, when you concider my journey. Instead I had an arranged marriage at 13, became a mother 11 months later, and was divorced by 15. Remarried and a mother for the second time by the time I was 16. You would think I must have come from some backwoods hollow, but no, I have lived around Houston most of my life. I came from very poor people, so I learned that if you wanted to survive, you best learn how to literally raise, grow, preserve, and make whatever was needed by the family. But at 35, with a fifth grade education, I was able to finally start the education I had always wanted. At that time I was raising five children, ( two were mine), already had two grandchildren, (mine), and was working a full time job manageing our family business that employed 329 people. For 19 years I went to college. I never took less than three courses per semester, and that included the half semesters in the summers. I loved it. So did I accomplishing my dream, more than I ever expected to.
@Chrissy Page , I can understand your desire to join the service. Was your father's laughter because you are a very petite person? I could see that he might have understood that at that time you would have been creamed in a short time. I'm bigger than you, and I was raise within a harsher lifestyle than what you were brought up in, and I know that in those times I would not have made it. Today's service women face a totally different outlook by their male counterparts.
Yes, Partly because I was raised without any hardships and at the point in my life have never even seen an outhouse or water pump. but mainly because he was a very cruel towards me. Physically and verbally abusive.
I never really decided. Being involved with dancing lessons as a child I went through a phase of wanting to be a dancer. I had interests but never thought I would attain anything regarding my interests. I was orphaned and an only child, so I just began trying to get my own family; married young and twice. Even so, I worked most of my adult life, retail and in insurance. That's the way the mop flops.
@Ruby Begonia , I'm like you in that I started my family at a very early age, and had to worked to help support them. It was so easy to get caught up in their lives and forget about my own dreams. Before we knew it their dreams became more important than our own. But now it is our time, and of course our earlier dreams are too far past, but that doesn't mean we can't build new ones, and still accomplish them. How many of you have had to change your golden age dreams, and are you working towards them?