My daughter was born into generational poverty. It is important to me that she breaks that cycle of poverty that her birth family has struggled with for so long. In Bill Cosby's book, Come on, People, he mentions a study, which in a nutshell says, parents who asked their children, "What kind of doctor do you want to be?" were more likely to raise children who became doctors (PhD and medical) than those parents who just say, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Hmmm....interesting...
So I ask my daughter on a regular basis that very question.
Today's conversation, "What kind of doctor do you want to be when you grow up?"
"I don't know. Can I have a snack?"
"Just tell me first, what kind of doctor do you want to be when you grow up?"
"An elephant doctor."
"Really? Do you mean you want to help sick elephants?" In the back of my mind I was thinking she could have been considering being an elephant that was a doctor. Just last week, she wanted to be a "princess doctor." Not a doctor that takes care of princesses, but a princess that happened to be a doctor. Anyway, I digress...
"Yes, I want to take care of sick elephants."
"How are you going to help the elephants?"
"Feed them water, bananas, and nuts."
"Where are you going to live when you grow up?"
"The North Pole!"
Ok...Probably not a high demand for elephant doctors at the North Pole, but you never know! At least I am getting the idea of higher education into her head and she is goal setting. Right? I know in time she will discover a goal and purpose that will fulfill her and bring her joy...even if she isn't a doctor and even if she isn't taking care of elephants at the North Pole!
