Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Careers Day

Like every mother, I have high hopes for my children. I don't buy into any of that frilly "I'm just a girl so don't expect too much from me" b/s, nor do I think a woman's ONLY aspiration should be to one day *get married*. A woman does not become a person once she is a wife. You're a whole person, with value and hope and a soul from the moment you are born, whether male or female.

And if you find someone to share your journey, that should be a bonus. But you must love and rely on yourself FIRST.

This is how I am raising my kids. Affectionate but empowered. In charge of their own destinies. Aware of their potential and their choices. So just for fun, I asked my kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. Here are their answers:

Nicky, age 2: A diesel engineer. (*very nice, i approve*)

Joey, age 5: A photographer. (*ooh, creative, i'm so proud*)

Natalie, age 2: A princess. (*whatthef**k!?*)

Ok, where did I go wrong here!? Haven't I repeatedly told my daughter that she is intelligent and brave and more than just a pretty face!? That there is no "prince charming" to give you money and to make decisions for you!? That life is not just about pretty shoes dammit?!

But that's ok...you know Franny, she doesn't give up. In my happy voice, I explained to Natalie that maybe, since she was such a good healer and full of caring, that she might like to one day be a doctor, and help people's boo-boos feel better? I could see her considering this, and to sweeten the deal, I threw in the only weapon in my arsenal:

"Hey, how would you like to be a Dr. Princess?"

"Oooh yes! I wanna be a Dr. Princess when I grow up!" She squealed. (*ha ha, i win*)

Hey, its a start.

6 Comments:

At 11:34 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't worry ... she's young still ... we will get to her yet! Maybe by Princess she meant CEO of all of you people :)

 
At 2:54 PM , Blogger Motherkitty said...

Ah, ha! Mother brainwashing at work. That's great -- Dr. Princess. How about President Princess or Prime Minister Princess. I hear this is the year of the woman in U.S. politics and maybe it could be in Canada also.

I think that all your kids are really, really bright and most likely they will turn out to be pretty successful adults, no matter what they do. They might even turn out to be stand-up comedians. They seem to have their mother's sense of humor and quickness.

 
At 8:30 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Where does all this princess stuff come from and why do so many little girls buy into it? I don't get it. Then again, no matter what you say, that princess thing is everywhere that a little girl looks. Yipes.

I think that you are definitely headway with the Dr. Princess idea. Good job!

-velvet

 
At 7:41 AM , Blogger Jellyhead said...

Yes, my daughter says things like that. She asks me with furrowed brow what will happen if no-one wants to marry her.

I think maybe our daughters are going to revolt against our feminism and have oodles of babies whilst baking lots of apple pie. Figures.

 
At 1:53 PM , Blogger Alipurr said...

I gave up a long time ago trying to avoid the princess stuff....We even have a ton of Barbies lying around...ah, what kind of person have I turned into....I have turned to the dark side....:)

 
At 5:37 AM , Blogger thisisme said...

I still want to be a princess some days. Then I revolt. If you want scary - google "Australian Princess" - disturbing reality show turning Australian girls into princesses and sending them to England to dance with a prince. Usually from some obscure Eastern European family who haven't ruled a country for a while. One of the judges is Paul Burrell - say no more.

 

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