For some time now, my four-year-old son, E, says he wants to be a 'volcano firefighter and a paramedic' when he grows up. Last summer they visited a Fire Station where they were able to go inside a fire truck and ambulance. Since then, both he and Josiah, get very excited whenever they see a fire truck, ambulance, or Fire Station. They once witnessed an elderly lady being taken by paramedics and one of the firefighters there (also at the scene) gave them stickers. They know their sister was taken to Children's hospital in an ambulance and Ethan sometimes also says he wants to be a doctor 'to help babies that are very sick.' They have also seen pictures of when their dad was a fire fighter for the CA Department of Forestry.
When my 6-year-old son, J, told me he wanted to be a doctor, I explained to him that there are many kinds of doctors. I suggested that we find a book on different 'doctor jobs.' Since then, he decided -on his own- that he wants to be the doctor that 'takes babies out of mommies' tummies.' When I took him to the library this week, he asked the librarian to help him find books on doctors. He found a children's book on anatomy and also a children's book titled, 'The Obstetrician.' He and I discovered together that a 'doctor who takes babies out of tummies' is an obstetrician . The book is age appropriate and I've read it to him already. He is fascinated with understanding baby development and is set on learning all he can, so that he could become an obstetrician one day. I was a little apprehensive about explaining the birth process to him. When he has asked me about how babies are born in the past, I've told him that when he was born, the doctor made a small cut on my tummy (I had 3 c-sections) and then closed it back up. I was sort of hoping he would not be so persistent on learning obstetrics at age six.
However, I don't take either of their career aspirations lightly. I decided I wanted to become a teacher at the age of five.
picture: 'baby in tummy' drawing by J
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