What do you want to be when you grow up?

Rachel and Felix have gone for lesson two of their Phonics and Reading class.  They seemed to have enjoyed it.  It is a day packed with activities and little rest for my dear wife though.  Our elder children wake and get ready to go out for their classes at Jurong West Sports and Recreation Centre - Rachel for her ballet class and Felix for his art / painting class.

Yen then brings them home and out again for lunch and to meet me, before we send them for their one-and-a-half hour phonics class.  By the time we reach home, it will be about four in the afternoon and they will be dead beat.  It was like that yesterday.  The children were watching a VCD in the car on the short drive home but their eyelids were closing.  Weary from the activities, they were drifting off to sleep.

I knew that was not good as they would be awoken shortly into their nap when we reach home.  They will have much trouble trying to sleep at home.  They practise taking a 'compulsory' nap at play-school and we continue to enforce that at home on weekends.  However, the activities on Sunday meant it was not possible to squeeze nap time inbetween.

Yen was tired too and took this chance to close her eyes for a nap.  I quickly woke Rachel and Felix up, and engaged them in conversation as I drove.  "Oh, do you know what mummy and daddy work as?" I quizzed them.

"Mummy is a nurse...  and daddy is... a driver!" Rachel answered confidently.  A driver?!  What made her say that??  She later remembered that I teach.  Since Rachel spoke about wanting to be a doctor when she grows up, I asked them again what they wanted to be when they grow up.

Rachel reiterated without second thoughts of her desire to be a doctor.  She probably does not know too much about why she wants that but anyhow, I am happy with her choice.  I then took Felix to the task.  "Felix, what about you?"

"I...  I want to be..." he started answering, before trailing off...  Poor boy had not done too much  thinking about it!  "I...  I want to be..."  this repeated itself for the next couple of minutes until I parked our car and they got off the car.

I held his hand and walked to the lift in the carpark, while Rachel held her mother's.  Felix was getting impatient and exasperated by now at not being able to provide an answer, like he always does when he had problems accomplishing a certain task.  I was glad my task of keeping the two awake had been successful, and was not too concerned about an answer.

"It's okay, Felix, you are still young.  You can think about it when you grow and tell me later..." I assured him, "It is okay to be take up any job later, as long as you are a good person.  Do you want to be a good boy?" I coaxed.

"No!"  he shot back.

"Oh no, you want to be a bad boy?" I continued.

"No!" he replied.  Not satisfied with that, Felix continued, "I...  I want to be..."

I gave him a few prompts.  "Do you want to be a doctor like your sister?  Or a policeman?  A teacher?"

This time, he managed a few answers.  "...a firetruck!"  I corrected him that it was a vehicle, and he cannot be one.  "Do you mean fireman?" I checked.

"Yes, I want to be a fireman!"  he was glad he came out with an answer.  Then later, he changed his mind.  "I want to be a doctor too!"

Ha...  children.  It is probably too early for them to decide what they want to be now and really get there.  But perhaps it is good to have a goal; a target for them to set themselves?  As their father, I shall be around for as long as I can to provide them with what I can that is necessary for them to have good chances in life for a better future.