You Can Be Anything You Want To Be

When I was in Elementary School, I loved to sing. I sang along to the radio in the car, all those fun little songs during music class, wherever I could. One day, the music teacher said the school was holding try-outs for the all-girls' choir. Excited about the opportunity to sing in a real choir, I ran home after school to tell my mom I was trying out. Then my mom did the unthinkable. She looked me square in the eye and said, "Keri, you can't sing."

This came as a shock as my mom encouraged me in almost everything I did, but not this time. Maybe she thought it would be better to hear it from her than from the judges at the try-outs. Regardless, I was still heartbroken and did not try out for the choir, and from that point on, I never sang in the car when someone else was riding with me. Should my mom have been so brutally honest with me?

We have all heard the phrase, "You can be anything you want to be." Should we encourage our kids to be whatever they want or be honest with them if they are lacking the talent?

I'm sure you have all seen or heard of the try-outs for American Idol. As much as I try to escape this show, I always get sucked into watching the try-outs at the beginning of each season. There are so many terrible singers on there, but they are convinced they sing beautifully. I have also seen many of these not-so-great contestants' parents standing beside their kids and supporting them all the way. Are the parents just as delusional as their kids or are they just encouraging them to follow their dreams?

My husband and I discussed this very topic on how we would handle supporting our son's ambitions and what to do if he chooses a career path that he might not be best suited for. My husband says, he would encourage our son no matter what because it is better for him to try and fail than not try at all, and failure is an important part of life that helps you learn from your mistakes. He phrased it as, "I'm not saying he will be anything he wants to be, but he should try to be anything he wants to be."

I will agree and say it sounds like a good, well-intentioned plan to me. I also want to focus on our son's gifts and talents and encourage growth in those particular areas. I never think I could come right out and tell him that he could not do something. A dream is a terrible thing to take away from a kid, or anyone young or old, and there could always be a way for them to somehow achieve their dreams, especially if they want it bad enough.

UPDATE: Poll Results 10/5/08 - 10/12/08

Should kids be told they can be anything
they want to be?
100% Yes they should
00% Be honest with them
00% I don't know
00% Undecided