One of the most amusing things when you're a parent is hearing your kids talk about what they want to be when they grow up. Like most little boys, when my son was 3 he decided he wanted to be a fireman one day. But soon after he turned 4, someone asked him the question and he announced a dramatic career change.
"I wanna be a gas station attendant."
My husband and I quickly covered our mouths and pretended to cough while we snorted with laughter.
"Really," I said. "Why is that?"
"You get to put gas in the car and clean people's windows and that makes them happy," he said definitively.
We nodded our heads in agreement. "Well, that's great, Sweetie," I praised him. He grinned and ambled away.
"Very altruistic of him," said my husband.
"Hey, think of all the money we'll save on college," I replied. But kids being kids, my son had another career change the following year.
"What do you call someone who studies bugs," he asked me one day while I was working on the computer.
"Um, an entomologist, I think," I told him, without looking up.
"Well, I want to be an entomologist when I grow up," he announced. "See!!!" He thrust his hand under my nose displaying a huge, quivering beetle in his palm. This time, my response was not as supportive.
"AAAAHHHHHH!"
When he was 6, he went a little more mainstream and decided he would be a doctor.
"You know all that money we were going to save on college when the kid said he wanted to be a gas station attendant?" I said to my husband.
"Well, now we'll have to double it for medical school."
But after he went for a check-up and had to get a booster shot, my son decided that doctors are meanies and he'd NEVER be a doctor... even if they do get all those lollipops. Sometime later at a big family gathering, he said he had a big announcement to make.
"I'm going to go into my dad's business and take over his company when he retires."
My husband beamed. Congratulations were passed around.
I leaned over and whispered in my husband's ear: "Don't hold your breath, Last week he was going to be a writer, like me."
We went along like this for another couple of years. One day he was going to study marine life, another day. he was dreaming of being a cartoonist.
And then when he turned 10, I realized he hadn't talked about it for a while. I thought maybe he had hit an existential crossroads. Did he want to go into big business and be a corporate leader or do something to help humanity? Was he thinking about a future in politics or did he crave the excitement of professional sports? For ten years we had told him the world was at his doorstep and he could do anything he wanted if he put his mind to it. Now that he had a little more maturity and wisdom, I was curious what path he thought he might take.
So finally, one day, I asked him.
"Hey Kiddo, what do you think you want to do when you grow up?"
He paused the video game he was playing and looked at me thoughtfully.
"I dunno," he said. "I think maybe I'll just sponge off you and Dad."
Tracy's new book, Lost in Suburbia: A Momoir. How I Got Pregnant, Lost Myself, and Got My Cool Back in the New Jersey Suburbs, is now available for PRE-ORDER! To reserve your copy, go to Amazon or any online bookseller.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.