Since I was born I have always been a dreamer. I have wanted to be a vet, a horse trainer, a rodeo barrel racer, a social worker, a retail store owner, a web designer, a home rehabber, a real estate agent, a photographer and the list goes on and on. So to me it is not weird to be a dreamer. I wouldn’t know anything else.
Funny thing is, I guess being a dreamer is a inharited thing. My oldest son Dodge is almost 8 and he wants to be an NHL player. His goal is to play #7 for the Montreal Canadians. How do I react to that? Well I encourage it. I love that he has a dream. I think kids with out a dream are kids about to find trouble. What is the worst thing that can happen if he works hard and never makes it to the NHL? Lets see he will be fit, he will have made friends, traveled, made memories. Who is to say it won’t lead to a future job, a hockey coach, a sports writer, a fitness coach?
What amazes me though is the people who don’t see it my way. I know sounds cocky. But I really don’t get it. on a regular basis I have people that question the amount of money we spend on hockey, the amount of time we spend, the amount of kilometers we travel, the importance we place on the sport or the early mornings. It is amazing how many people ask me if I know what the chances of him being the next Gretzky is, like that is going to change my mind toward hockey.
Well here is my thoughts:
I know the chances, but you know what that does not matter to me. What matters to me is that my son has a passion, a love, a dream, a purpose, a meaning. By the time he is old enough to make the NHL he will know the stats, he will understand the chances and you know what by then he might want to be an artist, and GUESS WHAT? Then I would be devoting my time, energy and money into art supplies and classes and I will never look back and wish I had back the money from hockey or that I had slept that extra hour on a Saturday I will just be thankful that my son learned some amazing things, made some memories and followed his dream.
Life gives us enough critics parents should not be one of them. Our job is to build them up, not knock them down. So my goal for each of you is to help your child grow to be a dreamer. If you teach them to always reach for the moon, yes they may miss but at least they may hold some stars on their travels.