What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up?
We 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 — 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 our child and 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻:
“When I grow up, I want to be like Uncle.”
In Singapore, they mean the workers they see building roads and buildings. When parents ask them why they wish to be like them.
“Because he has a big machine, a big truck, a big bus…”
And that may be the whole answer.
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗿 “𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗮𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿”, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲.
The bus driver drives the bus.
The doctor helps when someone is hurt.
The firefighter puts out fires.
Uncle has a big machine and makes holes in the ground.
𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻, 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲.
* They understand action before they understand titles. They notice the people who visibly move, build, fix, drive and help.
That is why their play is full of tools, uniforms, vehicles and role-play.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀.
𝗪𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 preschooler, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘆:
“𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲.”
|“𝗜 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱.”
“𝗜 𝗳𝗶𝘅.”
“𝗜 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲.”
“𝗜 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁...”
Children remind us that work makes sense when we can see what it does.
