When I was younger I distinctly remember knowing exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. From the age of 5, whenever anyone asked what I would be, I would say, “A developmental psychologist.”
Yeah, a little weird for a kid but *shrug* what can I say, I was a weird kid.
I stuck with my dream of becoming a psychologist through middle and high school. I was an IB student and in IB you have to pick something similar to a major, called your sixth subject, mine was psychology and senior year it became more specified to developmental psychology.
Upon entering college I only had a few classes to take to earn my AA, which meant I had to pick a major right away. I considered my options, weighed the pros and cons of different paths, and settled on becoming some kind of business major. I didn’t know what kind of business but at least I had a plan…
I took Principles of Economics I with Professor Charles Wilson and it was an eyeopening experience. I decided then, I would become an economics major.
Why business? Why make the switch from psychology to business? Well, when I was in high school I realized that the only thing I wanted to be more than a developmental psychologist was a mom. And during my first semester in college, during which I was a preschool teacher, I realized that there was nothing more I want from life than to be a successful mother.
While I think that amazing moms come in all forms I want to be able to dedicate the time my kids need to them. I don’t want them to be afraid of coming to me in the middle of the night. I don’t want them to be afraid to call me if they get sick at school. I want to be able to attend their sports games and not have to make them skip practice because I have to pull a double shift. I want to know what my kid is learning and reading, because those are things I wish my mom had known about me.
My mom was able to break the generational poverty chain, but at what cost? And what good was it for if I don’t take the opportunities to do even better than she did? My mom gave me all the tools I will ever need to do something with my life, even if that something is just being a mom.
I turned to business because I wanted to learn infinitely more about money and finances. I wanted to learn something that is applicable not only as an employee but as a mother and a wife. Money may or may not actually be the root of all evil, and it certainly cannot buy you happiness, but I watched my parents struggle with money my entire life. I hope that my child isn’t ever biting their tongue, not asking for a new backpack even though theirs is falling apart, because they saw the budget on the counter and know we can barely scrape together enough money for groceries.
At the end of the day, I’m not sure what I’m going to do in the next few years and goals change constantly. What I want to say in all of this is that it’s okay for your dreams and goals to shift, it’s okay to never want kids, it’s also okay to want to be a stay at home mom. It’s totally cool if you have no idea what you want. It is not okay for you to put down anyone for what they want to do. If I hear another person tell me, “But honey, you have such potential.” I’ll lose my mind.
The blog is getting a little serious this week and I promise we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled sarcasm and whatnot soon!
Until next time! Xx
Team Santana 