Childhood goals - did you accomplish them?

[Terri]

We apparently aren't the only ones who wanted to be other people when we grew up. The movie "The Breakfast Club" is playing on the TV and it caught my attention when the janitor is talking to the principal and is asked "What did you want to be when you were young?". The janitor's response was "When I was a kid I wanted to be John Lennon."

 

[k9ophile]

@hilary1617 Two of the three relatives were married to each other and their only child was the same age as me. I was always compared to her and always came up short. Not only did she get better grades, but could so anything. Her mother was my Home Ec teacher and I can maybe make a pillow case; my cousin made suits and won blue ribbons at the county AND state fair for her clothes. Years later I learned that it was a family tradition to compare cousins that were close in age. Maybe if they spent years in therapy, I would not have needed it. LOL

 

[hilary1617]

@Terri , That's one of my favorite movies, ever! Guess though he would have inspired many, the janitor wouldn't have lived long to enjoy that dream, much as Chastity's life wasn't as idyllic as you imagined. I wonder how many of us have wished to be another at some point but would later regret a "Freaky Friday" body swap?

 

[Elizabeth N.]

I wanted to change the world, but the hows varied quite a lot. My passion for Christian service consumed me from early teens forward and still drives a lot of what I do. More when I get back to a keyboard lol....

 

[hilary1617]

@k9ophile I never have been able to measure up to my only sibling, an older sister who is smarter, stunningly gorgeous and athletically gifted. I've always been the black sheep / underperformer of my extended family in general, but the odds of comparing favorably to my sister on any front, ever is limited (other than cuddliness/good cheer/humor/humanity?!) I have one cousin who made it really big in Silicon Valley and against whom my amazing husband, a stay-at-home dad extraordinaire and inventor, is always subject to comparison along 1950-style ideals. One additional challenge is that most publicly successful cousin is also my father's namesake and since I don't have any brothers, my dad has taken to the thought that his nephew is a son stand-in, which makes it a bit challenging for the son-in-law.

I've never had any therapy, mainly for the sake of the therapists' sanity!!!

 

[JackieOnLine]

Hilary, you write with such wisdom I'm thinking you could provide therapy, seriously!

 

[hilary1617]

@JackieOnLine , You are too kind. (Actually, when I think about it that kindness along with *your* wisdom would make you a great therapist!)
Those who know me IRL would gladly pay for me *not* to render advice, I'm sure. For sure, half the day long, my children say "moMMM" and roll their eyes in response to my guidance, which they clearly perceive as nagging/lecturing. Honestly, I think I serve best when my frequent mistakes provide examples to others of what not to do...

 

[JackieOnLine]

thank you, technically I am a therapist just like an LPN is a nurse - I am an Occupational Therapist Assistant - a two year degree. not currently practicing, however.

seems like if your kids are rolling their eyes you must be doing something right it will all sink in and they'll appreciate it when they are older, hopefully.

 

[Jbandmmomma]

I was going to be an Olympic gymnast. Like all kids blessed with naivete, I had no clue that I had zero talent for it. Nadia Comaneci was MY HERO. But puberty kicked my a$$ and that dream went further away. But I kept my love of sports, though mostly it is as a sports fan now (college football season is close enough I can almost smell it, and my Auburn Tigers are doing great things!).

I was born a voracious reader, and read everything I could get my hands on. The innate curiosity and amazing science teachers helped me to fall in love with biology. I knew I'd be involved in science in some way (physician, veterinarian, scientist?). From that standpoint, I did fulfill it - animal scientist who gets paid to think about biology. I did also love to pretend to be both Isis and Wonder Woman (child of the 70's much?), but I think every girl I knew did too.

I was a shy kid who loved babies and taking care of animals, but never really thought about being a mother. Heck, I never even had a true date through college (?!?!?!). But that's OK, because every part of my path led me to where I am, and my heart honestly grows every time I even think of my 3 little munchkins. Love found me when I was not looking, in the form of a best friend. I'm not the best mother by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm a mother bear who is determined to not raise brats.

 

[feeder]

Good post. As early as I can remember I wanted to play. Free bird here. No one could pin me. Truth in being was the food and drink I was after. At a very young age I do remember wanting to be a Mother. That was not good enough, just being a mother, my mother would tell me. You need a education, a career. No, I want to be a mother. Education was stressed so much in our household that it stripped the very nature of some of my siblings. Empty on the inside success on the outside.

When I was in 4th grade I wanted to be a nun, 5th grade a missionary, and in sixth grade I wanted to marry and have children. The hunt was on for my lover of life. Found him when I was 15, he was 13. Yes I am a cradle robber. We lived together for 5 years and then married. He was 18 and I was 20yrs.

Became a Mother. But becoming the mother I wanted to be, took on years of life's lesson, Play, sacrifice, grief and recreating oneself through it all.
F0und my lover of life of 34yrs.
Became a missionary in 2nd and third world countries.
Have 4 adult children. 5 grandchildren.
Fostered 33 special needs children.
Adopted our youngest, Bobby.

I did leave out the part of wanting to be a comedian. Yep, found that to be rewarding at a young age. Mom and dad hated it, teachers hated it, but oh how it was a stress reliever for me. In high school I was asked to be on the speech team, did it once won 1st place and said no thank you. Then it was debate team did it once, not for me. While I enjoyed making people laugh, seeing smiles on their faces and taken tension off of people who were put in very awkward position by staff at school, or kids at school I realized this went back for me about being truth and justice issues.

Became a country line dance teacher late in life after my DS. Have a following of about 50 senior citizens. Make them laugh and smile by the vintage cloths I wear, Goth cloths, turn of the century cloths, hats, shawls, gloves, vintage jewelry, mix and match my own. These material things mean nothing to me and I give them out to strangers or friends who comment on the item I am wearing. Brings smiles to them.

So now you have it, A mother, grandmother, lover of life who is uneducated in books and school, but sticks a flower in her hat when things are looking down. Smiles, laughs and sits quality looking at the world she someday hopes to spread her wings again and fly. But if it's not meant to be my way, guess I will adapt and live it as full as I can with what I have.

 

[Elizabeth N.]

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this.....

I think my first dream was to be a writer. I went back and forth between wanting to write novels and do investigative journalism. Didn't do either of those, but I do write a lot .

I wanted to travel, particularly to Europe, and I did that--lived in Germany for 8-plus years and did a lot of traveling while I was there, though not necessarily to all the hot tourist/vacation spots.

Most of my childhood dreams, though, were about escaping from the loonybin in which I grew up. I don't remember any other big dreams beyond that.

I always wanted to have an impact on my surroundings, though, to change the world. My first sense of having a vehicle with which to do that came with my really dramatic conversion to Christianity as a young teenager. Think Saul on the road to Damascus level dramatic. Yup, I was a Pentecostal Fundy-gelical, in the EXTREME. Stayed that way for some thirty-ish years. Went to seminary, did all the qualifications training to become a pastor, got foiled in that by my gender (or better said, by that denomination's beliefs about pastoring and gender), and fought it for a hell of a long time.

I tried to change the world, though. Oh such evangelistic and missionary zeal you have seldom seen!

Long story how that all changed. Now I'd call myself something like "progressive Christian," and I still believe my faith compels me to try to change the world.....but my definition of "changing the world" could hardly be more different. It used to be, "Make everyone believe what *I* believe, or else they'll burn in hell." Now I just want to help people live happier, healthier, better lives and become able to pass it on to the next person.

 

[bearmom]

I'm just getting back to this post too, and really enjoying reading everyone's replies, and marvel at how many similarities I find we all have aside from our history of obesity, and enjoy learning about our differences as well.

Regarding what MultiplePetMom said, I would like bariatricfacts to the THE go to place, and having off topic stuff where we can all connect on later parts of our journeys is important to me. There are several sites I go to for different reasons, but I'd like bariatric facts be a one - stop - shopping for facts or support or connection with other WLS peeps. I have a definite bias towards this place.

Also, every time I think of this site, I'm thinking "bariatricFaRts" instead of facts. Sigh. I'm such a child.

 

[brooklyngirl]

How great was catching up on this thread?!? So interesting to find out little facts that people usually don't talk much about because they think they're not interesting, but in fact, they're SUPER interesting.

And yes, I vote with @bearmom about us continuing to work toward make this THE place

 

[jillc]

Wow, this is really interesting thread. I can relate to so many people. When I was very young, I wanted to have magical powers. That unfortunately didn't manifest in any tangible way I can see, but instead of being a Christian, I am more pagan in my belief system. Basically I believe we are energy and go back to the earth and manifest in other ways. Cycle of life.

But I think my turn from Christianity has more to with other issues.

Then I wanted to be a writer. Then a photojournalist in developing nations (this was during/after the Ethiopian famine). Then a writer. Fiction, btw. But I had to do something "practical" as writing didn't make money, so I decided to take journalism. Dropped out of college, fell in love with a British soldier. Moved to England when he got out of the army. Worked crap jobs and finally got a BSc in Information Technology.

Moved back to Canada a few years after we split and I became a massage therapist. Did that until I hurt my shoulder and now I've re-trained an am an Industrial Medic on oil rigs. I did this though, so I could have time to write - so I'm trying to achieve the original goal as I write Urban Fantasy and Romance (so there's some magic in there).

 

[JackieOnLine]

I wish more people that have already joined would post more often.

just anything! join in!