Coming Into Their Own

There comes a point in every kid’s life when they stop wanting to be a superhero for a living and start to really figure out what career path they may eventually want to pursue.  Personally, I still have my fingers crossed for that freak accident that will give me telekinetic powers.  For those rooted in the real world, interests will start to form and an actual life path will take shape.

My boys are only 10 and 12, but I’m already starting to see that they are developing interests that may very well stick with them for a long time.  I’m not delusional enough to think that what they say they want to do now will always be, but it’s interesting to watch them formulate such long term plans.

I know perspective is everything, so considering that I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up it’s no secret that I find this fascinating.  If you are one of those people that have always known what you wanted and what career you wanted and actually have that, then you may want to come back next week for my next rant.  However, as I watch my sons develop interests and become their own young men I sit back and smile sometimes.  I wonder if they will really be a scientist (nothing specific yet) or a game designer.  There are a lot of years between now and decision time, but you never know.

It’s a fantastic and scary thing to experience your child growing away from you.  I am absolutely riveted by their interests, and involve myself in my kid’s hobbies, but I’d be blink to think they aren’t already starting to expand from beneath my parental umbrella.  They are better than I am…and you know I can’t say that about too many.  They are considering things that I know I did not when I was 12.  They are level headed, caring and intelligent.  I assume they get most of that from their mom.

Let’s take my 10 year old.  He’s decided to be a game designer.  I know every kid wants to make video games at some point, but he seems pretty serious about it so far.  Last night he gave me the resume of Todd Howard.  Don’t know Todd Howard?  I didn’t either.  Mr. Howard is a Producer and Senior Game Designer for Bethesda Game Studios.  Todd even made it onto Shaun’s (that my 10 year old) school project as someone who inspires him.  Bethesda has some games coming out soon that intrigue him, to say the least, and he has made it his mission to know how they make them.  From the art to programming to storytelling, he’s been all-in for months.  I know that the chances are slim that this will stick, but I truly hope it does.  I want that creative part of his brain to win.  It would be a pleasure to see him spend his life doing what he loves – not what he winds up with.

By this time, you may be asking, “Pete, that’s all very interesting.  But really, what are you trying to say here?  What’s the point?”  HA!  You were expecting a point to this?  Well, I suppose just that it's wonderful to see my children begin to mature enough to know there is a real world out there and that they may have a part in it.  More so, that they have a choice in how to be part of the world.  PPS; that it’s something that they will be able to decide, free of external bias and pressures.  And when the day comes that they will start down a more concrete path, they will be well equipped.