March 28, 2001    
begin

write

look

learn

find

What did your parents want you to become?

Happy!

Felicia, 35
Lowell
, MA    USA

My parents wanted me to become whatever made me happy. I was not pressured to become one thing over another. Once I showed an interest in art they supported that path. I guess if I had been pressured in some way, it would not have sat well with me and I would have rebeled a little more than the normal angst ridden teen. I was just telling my friend the other day.... I went to art class while my brother went to smart camp. He is a theoretical computer scientist. I am working at being an artist. Right now I am the type that does the 9-5 thing and squeezes the art in as much as I can.

Tina, 31
Medford
, MA   USA

An accomplished adult.

Jill, 60
Saylorsburg
, PA  USA

They've never said. They spend too much time worrying about my brother's psycopathic activities to think about my future career.

Shanna, 15
Cardiff  ENGLAND

an accountant, just like them. And it's never going to happen.

Jaden, 21
Brampton, Ontario  CANADA

The best that I could be and whatever I wanted to be! I have GREAT parents!!

Angela, 16
Aiken
, SC    USA

Probably an upstanding citizen. I guess it depends which parent you're talking about.

Karen, 21
Marshelltown/Ames
, IA  USA

Independent

Firelady, 23
Dallas
, TX    USA

A martyr.

Alias Irrelevante

THEY HAD NOTHING SPECIFIC IN MIND AS LONG AS I WAS HAPPY AND DID WHAT I WANTED TO DO

Stephanie, 25
TX   USA

A civil servant. Products of the depression, they envied the security of government positions. I was one for a while, but mostly because there were equal opportunities for women in the public sector before there were in the private sector.

Jane, 60
West Linn
, OR   USA

My parents never had a specific plan for me; they just wanted me to be happy.

Tracy, 24
Ocean City
, NJ  USA

Actually, my parents want me to do what I want. They weren't given that chance and for that reason, they are very supportive of whatever career path I plan to pursue (youth ministry).

Angela, 16
Aiken
, SC    USA

My Mother wants me to be want I want to be----which is a film director My biological father wants me to be knocked up, 12 kids, on welfare, working at mcdonalds. but he's not a good example of a father.

Anjel, 19

I don't know what they WANTED me to become - they never told me. But in later years, my mother told me she had always thought I would make a good librarian.

Reba, 51
Rockville
, MD   USA

My parents want me to be whatever makes me happy.

Dianne, 16
Oshawa, Ontario  CANADA

They had no set plans for me, although a while back my mom was bugging me to take the LSATS and try and get into law school. No friggin way, said I.

Talia, 23
Wilton
, CT USA

I honestly believe my parents wanted me to become whatever would make me the happiest. My mom put a little bit of emphasis on my musical and acting abilities, and my dad on education...but other than a few words of encouragement in those particular areas, they let me make career decisions without interference.

Fisch, 45
Preston
, CT   USA

A good person.

Cathy, 26
Mandan
, ND   USA

Well, when I was younger, my mother told me that she would not pay for my college or even help me out, since she was never given the oppurtunity to go to college. Which, to this day sounds completely backward to me. So, I guess my mother wanted me to have some dead-end job for the rest of my life. Thank God my dad is helping me pay my tuition. He always wanted me to do whatever it is I really wanted to do, and it doesn't hurt if is pays well.

Jennifer, 19
Wilkes-Barre
, PA  USA

I don't know what my folks wanted me to be when I grew up...but when I was a little Lerchette, I know they did not want me to be a brain dead file worker (no offense). Personally, I think they just want me to be happy in what I do. My favorite commercial is for monster.com when a little kid deadpans:when I grew up I wanna file all day long." That little kid is me. I imagine they would happy if I wound up like the guy in Misery, without the stalker. At least, I would be happy if I wound like like the guy in Misery.

Lerch, 30
Parts Unknown

My parents didn't put much pressure on me one way or the other except... My father was career military. When I was in high school I suggested that I might do ROTC in college with plans to join the Air Force. I planned to (and did) on major in foregin languages. I thought that might be a neat combination. Well, my father didn't let me consider that very long. It was the only thing he every forbade me to do... "No daughter of mine is joining the military!"

Laura, 36
Lowell
, MA   USA

My Dad told me when I was about seven or eight years old that he would most like me to be a lawyer. . . I think what he most wanted for me was for me to be a respected professional in an affluent community. . . .(not an altogether odious notion to me(heck, i might still make it happen. . .))

mothmc, 36
Los Angeles
, CA  USA

A secretary. Boy did I hate that. I wanted to be an artist, so for every art class in school, I had to take a secretarial class. I hated them for that. But in the long run I put myself through college and I am now  making a living as a graphic artist.

Janet, 42
E. Brunswick
, NJ  USA

Yesterday / Tomorrow