My Son's Future Careers... Or Not.

It happened again.  On our way out to the car a few days ago, we had stopped so that Bug could drive his cars along a crack in the sidewalk and through the "car wash" (under a nearby bench).  A man walking by commented, "It starts young!  All boys love cars.  That little guy is going to be a race car driver!"

I gave an appropriate non-committal response, and we all continued on our way.  Well, Bug and I did eventually.  Walking out to the car usually takes awhile, since there are so many things that require closer inspection and so many ways to explore along the way.

Have you ever noticed that lots of people do this?  I'm sure they mean well.  I'm sure they're trying to make cute conversation.  Some of them probably intend it as a complement: your kid is interested in neat things; your kid is so clever and creative; your kid has a bright future!

But honestly?  Secretly?  These kinds of comments bug me.  Just a little.  I know, I know, it's a stupid little pet peeve.  It's not something I let myself get worked up over, but it does annoy me.  (And I bet I'm not the only one!)  And I recognize that if this is one of the biggest things I get annoyed over on a normal day, I'm pretty lucky.

But still.

Just for fun, here's a list of some of the someday careers that have been predicted for Bug over the last few months.

Hey, that little boy is holding a strawberry plant in a staged photo!  Someday he's going to be a gardener.

The fact that my son loves to play with cars apparently means that he will someday be a race car driver, or an automotive tech (like his daddy used to be!), or a hot rod enthusiast.

The fact that my son loves driving onto base and looking at the big ships apparently means that he will someday be a sailor.

The fact that my son loves building with blocks apparently means that he will someday be an architect.

The fact that my son loves going swimming apparently means that he will someday be an Olympic swimmer.

The fact that my son loves to read apparently means that he will someday be a writer, or a librarian, or a bookstore drone.

The fact that my son loves to watch "Thomas & Friends" apparently means that he will someday be a train conductor.

He's playing with a snail!  Someday he's going to be a snail trainer, like in that picture book by Weird Al.

The fact that my son loves his to sing apparently means that he will someday be a rock star.  And the fact that he loves playing around with his ukelele and other musical instruments apparently means he will be a musician.

The fact that my son loves to visit the zoo apparently means that he will someday be a zookeeper.

The fact that my son loves to help me bake muffins apparently means that he will someday be a pastry chef.

The fact that my son loves to play with our cat apparently means that he will someday be a veterinarian.

Hey, that baby is wearing sunglasses!  Someday he's going to be a professional Cool Dude.

Honestly, the ways he plays now probably have no bearing on his future.  He's not even three years old, for goodness' sake!  He likes toys.  He likes to run and jump and be active.  He likes to play pretend games.  And I highly doubt that any of the things he does on a day to day basis are really predictive of his future vocation.

Heck, I'm an adult and I still don't know what I want to be "when I grow up!"