Many times I have to ask myself this question. I have to admit that sometimes they want to try something that I am not sure they can achieve. Then I remember, if I don't believe in them, they may not take that chance. If they are passionate about something now, it will either fade away quickly or it will turn into something that grows.
When my daughter was in first grade, she said she wanted to be an astronaut. In second grade, it was not only an astronaut, but the first woman to go to Mars. Then she would add a teacher to the list. By third grade, she added actress to the list.
My first response (which I did not share) was, what are the odds of that happening? That is too dangerous, a trip to Mars would take you away too long, what about getting married, having a family, etc. Then I had to remind myself, she is in second grade, help her see that she can, if she wants to.
So, I took a deep breath and we read about astronauts, the solar system and Mars. Her first science fair project was based on a trip to Mars. Her Dad took her Space Center Houston, the official visitor's center of NASA's Johnson Space Center. We gave her the information and encouraged her dream!
She then moved on to a teaching role and decided to "tutor" her brother in his "messy" handwriting. She became a "Teacher in Training" in her fourth grade class, she loves to help others learn. Now, she is in acting classes and we will soon encourage this by having her audition for roles.
We talked about all her options and she soon discovered that she could become the first female astronaut on Mars, then play herself in a Blockbuster Movie and later teach kids about her adventure. She also figured out how difficult it might be to take the astronaut route and devised a back up plan. If that didn't work out, she would become a teacher and volunteer on a flight to Mars as a teacher. Wow, impressive!
We don't know what she will end up accomplishing throughout her life, but we want her to know that we support her and encourage her. It is up to her to make her dreams come true, and as a parent I can either discourage or encourage her to reach for the stars! What will you do?
Cammie Moise