Break

by Marinka on July 24, 2011

I’m upset about the news from around the world and I need a break so I turn to my kids.

On Friday, we were stuck on the subway for a super long time.  Fortunately the train had half-pulled into the station, so I could see that help could be on the way if needed and we had AC but still. I don’t like being in enclosed crowded places underground.  I’d make a terrible miner.  But there we were.

And my daughter was saying how even though she thought she wanted to be a veterinarian when she grew up, she’s now leaning more towards forensic scientist.  She then asked Young Ladrinka what he thought. And he said, baseball player.

Since we were stuck and he was my captive audience, I decided to have a talk with him.

It’s wonderful to have dreams and all that nonsense, I said, and you’re a really good baseball player now, but you just don’t know how things are going to go.  A big part of being a baseball player has absolutely nothing to do with things that you can control.  So, yes, absolutely, have that as a goal, but you shoul have a back up plan as well. In case baseball doesn’t pan out.  Ok?

Ok, he said.

What do you think you want your back up plan to be? I asked.

Basketball player.

And then the train didn’t move for a very long time.  I know because I can still hear the people around us laughing at me.

One year ago ...

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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }

Cheryl
Twitter:
July 24, 2011 at 9:34 am

If that doesn’t work out either, there’s always NASCAR.

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Kati
Twitter:
July 24, 2011 at 8:36 pm

That’s my 12 yr old’s plan. And his back-up plan is staying in my basement. :-/

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ladyday July 25, 2011 at 12:23 am

Heh, we haven’t refinished our basement for precisely that reason.

Marinka, TG for air conditioning, but I’d still have been having a claustrophobic meltdown.

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Jenn July 24, 2011 at 10:23 am

My son is adamant that he will be a pro hockey player. And when he’s done with the hockey he’ll be an actor.
*sigh*
He believes in miracles 🙂
lol

Reply

awesome dude July 24, 2011 at 11:37 am

If and when somebody will have a definition of a real man, while the other qualities will vary, stubbornness will remain constant.

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Anthony from CharismaticKid
Twitter:
July 24, 2011 at 2:16 pm

How old is he?

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the mama bird diaries
Twitter:
July 24, 2011 at 8:09 pm

He is left handed? From what I understand, that makes all the difference.

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noordinarymomma July 24, 2011 at 11:11 pm

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a gas station attendant. Setting low goals is awesome for your self esteem. I’ve WAY over-achieved.

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Alexandra
Twitter:
July 25, 2011 at 1:03 am

Oh, you gotta love them.

My littlest says “when I’m playing professional soccer in Europe..”

Oh, my poor baby…

But, as Frank Sinatra used to say, ” I could always count on my old man to piss all over my dreams.”

We don’t want to be pissin’, Marinka.

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From Belgium July 25, 2011 at 7:21 am

Try telling him that he needs to get a law or medical degree before they even allow him to play professional baseball…

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Becky
Twitter:
July 25, 2011 at 7:27 am

My husband and I are hoping one of our two sons makes it to the pros for the stupid, crazy paychecks. It’s how we plan to pay for our retirement.

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tracy
Twitter:
July 25, 2011 at 7:40 am

Adorable. I would like to play professional basketball also but they discriminate against 42 year old women who are 5’7″.

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b a seagull
Twitter:
July 25, 2011 at 9:13 am

and then a drummer in a world famous rock and roll band.

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Dimity Kirwan July 25, 2011 at 10:05 am

That’s such a great story! I have a lot of students who have similar plans. I just use it to play the college/sports scholarship card. “Where do professional sports players get noticed?” “College!”

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Roxanne July 25, 2011 at 1:37 pm

Yep. I wanted to be a famous actress. If that didn’t work out, famous singer would have been my back-up plan.

Kind of glad I headed off to college and got my head on straight.

But there’s nothing wrong with having dreams & goals. 🙂

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The Flying Chalupa
Twitter:
July 25, 2011 at 11:38 pm

Ah, youth!

Which is what I say to myself everytime my father mentions his goals of getting his book published and then walking the Apian Way and living his remaining years in France.

Just smile, Marinka. Sigh deeply and smile.

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dadsprimalscream July 27, 2011 at 1:57 pm

No offense but I think the whole “back-up plan” idea is horrible parenting advice. The character traits learned while working towards one big goal are far more valuable than a 2nd rate half-hearted attempt to cover your bases.

If you have a backup plan, that IS the plan. It automatically replaced the dream.

What’s the worst that can happen? So, a kid shoots for being a baseball player and along the way gets derailed. At least he’s learned to work hard and have tenacity…traits that will help no matter what he ends up with. Advice for a backup plan just tells him, “You’re not as good as the hundreds of men who DO make a living as a baseball player.”

Better to shoot for the moon and miss, I say, than shoot for a pile of dung and make it.

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