Highway to Happy

When I was a little kid, I used to have a playmate whose parents are both doctors. When I asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up, she naturally answered, a doctor.

All those times, as a kid, I gave out different answers to that perennial question. Even though my parents were both Engineers, I never considered that as an option, unlike my playmate who sounded dead sure of turning out as a doctor.

When I went off to College, I was surprised to meet a lot of people who reminded me of my playmate. Half of my blockmates have at least one CPA parent. Some even have CPA parents. I felt left- out because mine were both Engineers, who happen to know nothing about technicalities of debits and credits.

As terms passed, though, some blockmates (who have CPA parent/s), started shifting out. I thought, good thing I realized early on that I didn’t want to end up like my parents. Lucky me, I thought.

I thought, like most of the time, wrong.

I though I didn’t want to become an Engineer. On that part, I was right.

I though I didn’t want to become like my parents. That- is where I came wrong.

Everyone of us, I guess, had, at least at one point, thought of turning out like our parents. Who could blame us? They are, for the most part of our lives, our greatest influences.

Now I understand why kids take the path their parents took, why my playmate wanted to be a doctor. But if that’s so, why didn’t I end up in Engineering?

I guess I have the answer.

I didn’t end up, or even considered, taking Engineering, because I didn’t even know my parents were Engineers when I was just a kid. I never saw them bring office works at home. I never caught my dad staying up late to finish a report or a template. My mom never missed a PTA meeting because of a site inspection. When my parents are at home, when they are with my brother and me, they are just that: parents.

Now that I’m growing up, I know for a fact that I want to become like my mom. Like her, I will never allow my career (if I’ll have any) to interfere with my responsibilities at home. I will never allow my children to look at me and see a CPA/ Lawyer, more than a mother, more than their mom.