An Ordinary Mom's Musings

My daughter is ten and can’t make up her mind as to what she wants to be/do when she grows up. She has lots of ideas that change day to day, and that’s as it should be.
One of the things she has said for a while is that she’d like to be an author. She is also excellent at art, so she could illustrate her own books should she desire to take that path. She’s been saying this since before I started writing again. She’s a creator, an artist (in the broader sense of the word, I can’t draw a stick figure), a musician like me.
Sunday, she was writing in a book she has that says things like- Which of your friends is most likely to be in the Olympics? Or who is most likely to be President? I was glancing at it as she filled it out, seeing which of her friend’s names she was writing down. Then I saw the answer she had put to the question- Who is most likely to become a famous blogger? The answer she had put is “Mom”.
This was significant to me for a couple reasons. One, it meant she thought I was cool, and when you’re a Mom with a Tween that’s huge. Mom isn’t cool when you’re that age. (Wait a minute, do people even use the word cool in this way anymore? Or am I just dating myself?)
Two, she has been following my progress as I have been blogging, and now sending out my writing for publishing. She had pride in her eyes when I told her about earning my first money for writing. Writing down that I was most likely to be a famous blogger meant that she was cheering me on. She wants me to succeed.
This, in turn, makes me grateful that I listened to myself and started writing again, that I’m slowly pushing myself to write better, to take bigger chances on what I write, to explore new avenues. Even though this is terrifying. My return on taking these chances, while I probably won’t become rich in the process, I can show my daughter that we can have dreams. We can reach for the stars. And while we keep striving for those dreams and reaching for those stars, we can be successful along the way, as long as we keep pushing forward. Even when those rejection letters come in and it’s been awhile since there was an acceptance letter. As long as I can say I am working hard and trying to make myself into a better writer, I can look at my daughter with confidence when I tell her to reach for her dreams and not to let anyone stop her.