When she was 5, she said she wanted to be a dentist. For her artclass culmination week, her masterpiece was a huge drawing of herself as a dentist with her dental tools whom she named Mr. Shower (the noisy thing that sprays water) and Mr. Hotdog (the red suction tube). Sitting on an imaginary dental chair was Kevin who was her patient (she labelled the boy as Kevin). She told me that she will take care of her brother's teeth (Kevin has a perfect set of teeth). We never had problems going to the dentist when she was just 3 years old. She was her calm, brave self. No crying, shrieking and running to mommy.
When she was 6, she said she wanted to be an engineer "just like Mommy and Daddy." Whenever they have to fetch me from my work at the Plant, the view of the laundry twin towers would greet her and this amazes her. I used to manage this operation (the half of the twin tower) and one day she said she wanted to do the same. At my old work pod, I have a drawing from Kyla of the twin tower complete with the vast parking lot, the walkway to the employee entrance. She drew me standing on one of the floors, eyeglasses and all. Kimby the dog was also in the picture but she didn't explain why. She got accustomed to the line leaders calling me at home (obviously when something was wrong) and she would do a why-why analysis on me after the call. She knew my line leader's name. One time, when the phone rang on a weekend, she mutterred "o, sira na naman ang motor..." (translation: the motor has broken down again). True enough the motor did broke down.
After being exposed to the vet (whenever we took our pet Kimby to the doctor), she said she wanted to be an veterinarian. We ended up buying this toy veterinary medical kit and an IKEA wooden bed for dolls so that she can play doctor to her toy animals. I just humor on her whatever is her latest wannabe.
It is interesting to note and follow how her answer vacillate every now and then. We just have to nurture their dreams until the time comes for them to finally make that monumental decision. I can understand that not everyone would know what they would like to be as a grown up, at seven years old or so. Did you?
I was subscribed to the Pambata magazine (a monthly publication for elementary school children) during my primary school years. It's an educational magazine for grade schoolers. When I was in grade 2, they featured a comic rendition of the different types of scientists so that children can visualize them better. I still have a photographic memory of those specific pages. I was drawn to the chemist, looking like some mad scientists mixing potions into vials. Reminded me of my experiments at home, mixing my dad's shaving cream, my mom's perfume and our neighbor's soil (we lived in an apartment but the neighbor next to the apartment row, had a vast garden with fruit trees and all).
In my junior high school year, I learned about the careers in the field of chemistry and discovered chemical engineering. I thought that working in a plant is challenging so I took up ChE instead for college. When I was hired in my first job for my the one and only company I worked for, I worked in an office (headquarters). But my instincts told me that my future is connected to the Plant. In 2001, it came true. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Back to Kyla. Can you guess what shewanted to be now? Back to being the dentist.
