"I want to be an astronaut-doctor"

My older kid has set in her mind that when she grows up, she wants to be an astronaut and a doctor. Which I think is a totally reasonable goal and isn’t really farfetched like it sort of sounds. I mean, there are astronauts that are also doctors.

Do I think my kid will become one? Well, if she hopes to do that I wonder at what age she will start to listen to instructors, follow directions, and humbly accept that she doesn’t already know how to do everything. I wonder if that change will come all at once, or so slowly over time that I don’t even notice it. I wonder how she will learn those skills, and what my part in it will be.

I do know that I have some influence in these long-term goals, though. I took her to the Circus Juventas Community Day[1] the other day and about 20 minutes in she said she wants to be a circus performer. She later clarified, “an astronaut-doctor-circus-person”.

[1]: This was awesome.