Happy first day of school! What do you want to be when you grow up?
My daughter started the 1st grade today. Of course, there were all of the usual feelings – hers and mine – fear, trepidation, excitement, curiosity. I cannot wait to hear how her day went!
Every year, while she still lets me, I take her picture on the first (and last) day of school, and I make one of those signs about her favorites: colors, activities, and school subjects. Inevitably, I ask the boring question at the end, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Over the last three years, since pre-k, she has answered, "A mom."
Of course, I think this is sweet and makes me feel so special, but I can't help but wonder what that means to her and what may be behind it. Then I came across this post by Sinead Bovell about why we should stop asking kids what they want to be growing up.
Sinead Bovell
It's pretty straightforward: the jobs that we know today likely won't exist at all or at least not in the way we think of them. Once Bovell says it, it sounds obvious, but it isn't the way we think. We mean the question kindly and maybe to better understand the hopes and dreams of our children, but let's be honest: it's really dull and, with Bovell's reframe, really meaningless.
Instead, Bovell suggests we ask, "what problems do you want to solve [when you grow up]?" I love this so much. Asking what problems they want to solve is so much more concrete and the problems they identify will likely still exist when they are ready to solve them. It inspires so much more creative thinking.
So when my daughter says that she wants to be a mom when she grows up, I can't help but wonder what's behind it. Let's put aside for a moment that she's 6 and may not know many actual jobs in the world. If we reframe it to "what problems do you want to solve" in the way that Bovell does, I think it gets to something much more profound. I think she's saying that she wants to be important and caring and make an impact in the lives of the people she cares about. I may be overplaying it – and I don't think this is about me being her mother; I think there's more behind it.
I am so curious about what problems my little 6-year-old wants to solve; I'm curious about how she thinks about the world around her. More relevantly, though, I want to inspire a thought process around creative problem solving AND maybe encourage her to think that she has the ability to be a great problem solver.
So, happy first day of school! What problems do you want to solve when you grow up?
[Article image prompt: Create a heartwarming drawn illustration of a young girl on her first day of school. In the background, depict a cheerful classroom setting with other children and a teacher. Include thought bubbles above the girl's head showing various imaginative problems she might want to solve, such as helping animals, building things, or caring for the environment. The overall tone should be bright, inspiring, and reflective of curiosity and creativity.]
