Not Mom's Plan

I let my kids dream their dreams. I don't tell them something isn't practical or that they can't do anything. Instead, if their dreams are a little far-fetched I ask them questions about it to show my interest and generally leave it at that. I figure given enough time their dreams will land somewhere else, and I won't have to worry about most of them anyway. However, when my seven year old, proudly balanced her lunch dishes in one hand from table to sink and declared, "Hey Mom! I think I could probably be a waitress when I grow up!" I had to at least temper the dream a little. "Sure" I said. "Maybe that would be a good job while you are in college." My daughter looked at me like I was nuts. "No Mom. I meant maybe that is what I could be. A waitress. That WOULD be my job." Grasping at straws, I started using big words, "Well, that is more of a TRANSITIONAL job." I am used to my kids dreaming BIG dreams, and this one was so average I couldn't quite reconcile myself with it. I should not have even bothered trying to rationalize the "dream", because this only prompted more questions. Oh well, from now on I shall stick with my original policy on the "dream" front, even if it isn't what I envision for my kids.