What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" It is such a typical question, yet it compels children to venture into their innocent minds and let them imagine the world full of possibilities and encouragements. Their responses vary, ranging from superheroes to the President of the United States. But how would the little ones react when they were told, "You are not talented or smart enough. Try again." Their dreams would be shattered into millions of pieces and their hopes would be lost forever. Plummeting confidences would change the way the kids perceive the world. They would brainwash themselves into thinking that the world is a black hole, sucking up the potentialities and ambitions out of them. The children nowadays are told "no" too many times, they do not need to hear it from again from their loved ones. Encouraging the kids unconditionally allows them to choose a goal freely, gives them the hope of achievement, and builds trust within the family.
Meaningless words can changes peoples' lives, even the ones without any intentions. My parents were full of fluff when it came to encouraging their kids. I was a very influential child; I couldn't keep a stable "job" for a day. One day, I would want to become a ninja assassin, and then after watching Teletutbbies, I would want to become a super, cool robot that can feed the world. Of course being an obedient child, I would always ask for my parents' permission first, and every time I received nothing less than a content nod. I would happily daydream about my future, immersed in the glory and fulfillment. At that time though, my dreams were not realistic at all – they all usually consisted of saving the world from an evil dinosaur (horrifying memories from watching Jurassic Park too early). No matter how ridiculously insane my aspirations were, my parents always gave me the support I needed. As I matured, I was very confident in myself, in fact a bit haughty to be honest, and believed I could accomplish anything.