I Guess I Should Still Dream…

Last night when I was putting my 9-year-old son to bed we had a really interesting conversation. First of all I should tell you that my son is incredibly practical and reaslistic for a kid his age. Logic and reason definitely prevail over creativity and fantasy.

He was asking me about when he will get to choose what courses he takes and at what point he has to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up. We talked about electives, majors, life lessons, and how you’re never really stuck doing one thing even if you study it but you should try and have a general idea. He talked about his love for Math and History (remember this?) and we discussed what types of jobs there might be in these fields.

The weird thing was that he never mentioned his love and obsession for sports. He is a great athlete, but more importantly, he LOVES sports. All kinds – hockey, running, tennis, badminton, swimming, basketball, golf – you name it. So I brought it up. “What about sports?” I said. “Well, it’s not like I’m going to make the NHL or anything”. I was really surprised. Most kids his age were dreaming of a career in hockey and he had already given up hope? I didn’t like it one bit.

Like a typical mom I saw this as a teaching moment. I asked him what he loved to do more than anything in the world. He didn’t even hesitate – Sports. “OK. So you consider Math and History but why would you rule out sports”? We then had a long chat about the importance of the process. The fun in getting there. The team and personal development and opportunity. The variety of careers in sports. The passion and happiness and friendships.

After all of that we paused to think. Then he turns, looks at me, and says with a resigned look and a slight eye roll, “so, I guess what you’re saying is that I should still dream, right”? So predictable, mom.