I used to want my child to be brilliant.
When she was first born, I said she was going to be a doctor.
We watched with glee as she was able to turn over during the early months. We were overjoyed when she started eating solid food. We were ecstatic when she took her first steps and started talking.
We, of course, like all new parents, read all about when these leaps would occur. We held our breaths waiting for her to accomplish each task. We secretly compared results with friends who had babies of similar age.
It turned out, our child was fairly normal at most things. Not exceptional, not brilliant but average.
We dressed her like a pumpkin for her first Halloween, a puppy dog for her second, then manipulated her into choosing a doctor’s outfit for her third.
She hated that costume.
I wanted her to be a doctor. She didn’t.
She wanted to be a puppy dog again.
She loves dogs.
By then, her personality was absolutely starting to be apparent.
She hated stories when people were hurt or sick. She felt so bad for them. She did not like looking at the bones in pictures of x-rays which seemed to appear in every single ABC book ever written for kids.
Right now, at 6 years old, she is quite firm in the fact that she doesn’t want to be a doctor.
And I am cool with that.
As she has grown and I have got to know her better and better, I have discovered the most caring and empathetic person I have ever known.
I don’t have to remind her to be kind. Being kind to her classmates, to strangers, to animals and plants comes as natural to her as breathing.
Looking back, if I could go once again to that delivery room when I saw her for the first time and wondered what kind of person she would turn out to be, I would absolutely wish for a kind, sympathetic child above everything else, including brilliance.
Don’t get me wrong, she is a very smart young lady, and she has a bright future in front of her. But I am certain the things that will open the most doors for her in her life are her smile and caring heart.
When asked what she wants to do when she grows up, she now says she would like to run an adoption center for dogs who need homes.
I couldn’t be happier.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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 The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer |
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Photo credit: Caleb Woods on Unsplash
