"He will become an engineer" - Yesterday I was talking to my friend and telling her how Somesh - my 5 year old - was taking apart his cars and examining it minutely. This is what she told me. And it set me thinking just how many times I have heard this same thing from various people. But whats strange is that whereas we like to think when our kids pick up the screwdriver they will become engineers , and when it is a steth then doctors, we dont like to entertain the thought that maybe their interests could be somewhat different as well. For instance, Somesh has a flair for drama. Even at his age he likes to mimic people and gets even adult expressions beautifully. But if I ever exclaim that he will do bright in media - my husband frowns at me and tells me not to put rubbish ideas into an young mind. Then again as a very small child he was very interested and curious about the workings in the kitchen- he liked to see how I make certain things and even though I do say so myself - if you ask him he will tell you exactly how to prepare a mean cheese sandwich. But a chance joking remark that he may become a big chef earns me a "dont utter inaspicious things. What if it becomes true?" It is a bit scary to think that he has to live upto so many people's expectations and probably won't even get a chance to explore what pulls at him the best. I am not supposed to even tell him about areas and fields into which "normal middle class families who want to make a decent living" dont usually foray. For him the roads are limited - engineering, medicine, and God knows what other traditional stuff has been already charted out for him. I love it when he comes and tells me his imaginations - how he imagines about a flying dragon and how he would love to have a wand like harry potter's ! But Senthil, my husband, gets worried and states "Do you this is normal, healthy that he is imagining things?" Now what is a kid who lives in a world of cartoon network, Laptop games supposed to do if not give free reign to his imagination?
Steering children in the right direction so that their future is bright tomorrow and most importantly risk free is every parents responsibility and duty and I must say we do our duty very admirably. So much so, that most of us, today in our cosy lives, with cosy jobs, wont even remember what WE were actually interested in, when we were young. We look at people who are doing what they always liked - singing, writing, acting and discuss that "this is fame which doesnt last long" - cannot be compared to a stable job which fetches a steady income end of month. But deep in - I am sure everyone has a burning desire to be what they had dreamed of, of doing what they truly had a passion in. Yet we will do our duty and tell our kids not to think of mere interests and hobbies as a career and go for it. Mmmm.... I can just remember one thing right now which i had either read somewhere or someone great must have told me  - when you take up a career of what you most love - the work is not work to be done everyday. Commente !! :))