When Carly was a preschooler, she loved to dance. She woke up mornings twirling on her toes, and she leaped and spun throughout her day. “That girl!” her parents observed. She’s going to be a dancer!”
In elementary school, Carly developed an interest in sports, excelling on several teams. Her parents looked into Olympic opportunities and dreamed of athletic scholarships. Carly was certainly on the road to a career in sports.
As a teenager, Carly’s English teacher helped her discover her way with words. She holed up in her room by the hour, reading and writing poetry. Her parents were amazed, and had high hopes that their girl would grow up to write the Great American Novel.
And then Carly went away to college, where she befriended some young political activists. She changed her English major to Political Science, and on trips home she held court for some spirited political discussions with her parents, who didn’t necessarily share her views. Carly was definitely headed for a career in politics, her perplexed parents surmised.
Carly’s mom and dad scratched their heads in confusion that this rebel was the little dancer-athlete-poet who grew up in their house. They wondered what they did wrong to lead her to become this stranger.
But I believe they did a fine job with Carly, allowing her to try out many aspects of her personality with the freedom to explore. She has her parents to thank both for security and also for a long leash that afforded her some latitude. Like most kids, Carly was a child with a passion for life. She responded enthusiastically to every opportunity for growth that came her way, and in so doing she discovered attributes about herself and things about the world that contributed to her becoming a well-rounded individual.
Childhood and adolescence are the scenes of many experiments as kids try on a variety of roles. Asking themselves “who am I really?” is the work of their early lives.
I would encourage Carly’s parents to hang on a few years. Eventually, Carly will become an adult they’ll recognize. All those other passions she discovered growing up are still part of who she is. One day they may watch as Carly twirls and spins with their future grandchildren.
