When They Grow Up

       I love this picture I saw right outside Lanie's classroom.  It's not her class.  I don't really know the kids.  But I love this idea.  If it were mine I'd be Pinteresting (see how I turned a noun into a verb) it right now.  But it's not so I'll just share it here instead of with thousands eager teachers looking for a cute craft idea. 

       I had more than just the cute factor of the artwork in mind when I started this post.  I love what it says.  If you can't read the chalkboards the kids are holding, this is it:

     "When we grow up . . ."  

Followed by a picture of each kid holding a chalkboard with their future career.  Here they are:

cheerleader, 

teacher, 

doctor, 

mom, 

cowboy, 

ninja, 

bus driver, 

artist, 

mom, 

engineer, 

pilot, 

teacher, 

doctor, 

and dentist.  

       The end says, "LSA graduating class of 2025."  It's so clever.  I wonder how the parent of the future ninja feels?  And I wonder how many of those 4-year-olds want to do the same thing their parents do (besides the ninja, of course).  I always enjoy those stories when a career path was passed down from generation to generation.  For instance, my son's teacher has been teaching 3rd grade for over 40 years. Her husband is a Lutheran high school teacher, I used to teach with him.  They had 4 children and all 4 went to the same Concordia Lutheran college, the same as me.  And now, those 4 kids are grown up with their own children, and yes, they are all Lutheran teachers and 3/4 are married to Lutheran teachers.  It's amazing, really, that this incredible, difficult, rewarding and yet low-paying vocation could be passed down to every person in a family.  It says so much to me about how influential parents can be.  If you love your career, certainly your kids will sense that and likewise, if it makes you miserable, that won't go unnoticed either.  

         And I've been thinking a lot about that.  What do I want my kids to see or remember about me or Kenny when it comes to time spent with work?  For Kenny, hopefully they'll always remember that he was around.  He was right there when they got home - sure his door was closed from time to time with interviews, but like a good boss, he keeps an open door policy most of the time.  With me returning to work (which by the way, I got the green light today -- fingerprints were seen!), I pray that the kids see the joy in me that I get to be apart of something bigger than I am; that I get to serve in a different capacity than I do at home or at church.
     I'll be honest though, I think their realization of this may be a slow climb.  This morning I told the kids that I was going to pick up my School ID and "isn't it exciting - mom gets to work now!"
      Lydia is the only one who responded.  "But you already work at home."
      "What do I do at home?" I asked curiously.
      "Oh, clean stuff."
       "Oh."
While I appreciate that Lydia feels cleaning our house is a full-time job (really it is, I just don't do it),  I hope that maybe with a little more responsibility on my plate, she'll appreciate hard work as well.  Again, it might not be right away. But maybe when she's older, if school libraries aren't completely extinct, she'll by influenced by me and walk in my footsteps.  Or maybe she'll be a teacher, or an artist, or a dentist, or a pilot.  Really they're all fine, as long she opts out of Ninja school.