WHAT I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP

What I value most about the Value Education class I find myself taking on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays is how it’s giving me an insight into the minds of the 10-year-olds in it. I get them half asleep at 7.30 in the morning and that’s the toughest crowd you can get. If you don’t believe me, try talking to a child about ‘God’s Divine Providence’ and all that jazz so early in the morning.

I soon had it figured that for this to NOT become an early morning snooze fest for the kids (and myself!) I would have to make it more fun. So I started just chatting with them. A class discussion, if you will.  

Coming back to that thing about ‘God’s Divine Providence’. Yes, that’s part of the subject’s curriculum at school. It’s amazing how we adults can send mixed signals. First, we extol the virtues of hard work. Then we tell kids that God provides. I asked the kids what they thought God provides. ‘Food, houses, clothes...’ were initial replies. With that out of the way, they got more imaginative. 

“Whatever we want,” said one, grandly. 

“Presents,” said another, with excitement. 

“Oh, so God is Santa Claus,” I conjectured. 

The kids found it funny and sat up straighter in their seats. Sensing that they were now coming on board, I enquired, “So does God really give us everything we want?”

Actually, I think I was looking for reassurance. As adults there’s plenty of evidence in our lives that tells us otherwise. Well, let me tell you, ten-year-olds don’t have it easy these days either. I could see some of them shaking their head morosely. They were not strangers to disappointment.

“But if we really pray, he gives us what we want,” said a child, comfortingly. This found favour with some of the other kids too.

“So, if I pray for an 8-bedroom house, will I get it tomorrow?” I asked.  I will begin house-hunting soon (No, not for an 8-bedroom one!), so I was interested in what they had to say. But even children know that this isn’t the way it works. Tough luck.

So, we decided that God only provides when:

1)    We work towards what we want.

2)    If it’s for our greater good.

To work towards what we want means that we must KNOW WHAT WE WANT. And this, I felt, was as good a time to initiate some thought on the matter as any other. So we launched into a chat about ‘What I want to be when I grow up.’

Do kids really know at that age? Did we?

Well, little kids are big parent pleasers. Or, big dreamers. Hence, initially I got the usual suspects: ‘I want to be a doctor because I want to help people,’ or ‘I want to be an engineer/a vet/an IPS officer/a pilot/a teacher.’

I came to a profound realization. Kids are compassionate. Almost all of them wanted to help others. Obviously, we know our core purpose when we are small.  Of course, there were a few who looked unsure. “You know, there are many things you can be without being any of these things.” I could sense some curiosity, some doubt too. 

That’s how we started talking about other things. Like being a DJ or a choreographer cum dancer, an artist, a pilot, a police officer, a fire-fighter, a computer programmer.

The bell rang. Time-up. But the best was still to come. As I turned to leave, someone tugged at my hand. I looked, and there she was. One of the silent ones who had seemed removed from our little chat. 

Her face was flushed with excitement as though she had just had an epiphany. 

“Miss, I want to be a belly dancer!” she said and happy with the smile it brought to my face, she ran back to her seat. I wonder if that kid knew she had just made my day!