When I Grow Up...

When I Grow Up...

DS: What kind of work do you think I can do when I'm a grown-up?
Me: You can be anything you want to be.
DS: I think I want to be a pizza delivery guy.

I wasn't sure if he was trying to be funny so I asked him why he wanted to be a pizza delivery guy. He says that because he does not want to be any of the other things he could think of. He did not like blood so no work in the medical field for him. Police work and firefighting were too dangerous. He did not want to be a lawyer because he did not want to have to speak in front of a crowd. I told him that not all lawyers are like trial lawyers or motorcycle accident attorney. He still did not like the idea.

When he was rejecting everything I was suggesting, I remarked, "Well, you can choose to be anything you want to be. What is important is that you become who God wants you to become. God wants you to be someone who makes the world a better place."

I was initially disheartened to hear the "lack of ambition" in my son. His quip would've been cute to hear from a toddler or a preschooler, not a 3rd-grader. It was just a passing conversation but I already doubted whether we were instilling in him the drive to excel. Then, as if the Holy Spirit enlightened me and I realized that what work he goes into is not of primary importance. That he becomes a man of God is what I should be concerned about.

A few days after...

DS: How about becoming a priest? Would I make a good priest, Mom? Priests make the world a better place, don't they?
ME: They definitely do! And that would be an excellent choice.