When I grow up

Some people go through childhood pondering what they'll be when they grow up. They switch their ambitions as the years go by from astronaut to fireman to doctor to lawyer and when they grow up they end up working at Coles doing nightfill. Other people know what they want to be from a very young age, it never changes whilst growing up and they end up in the career they always intended.

From as far back as I can remember I always wanted to be teacher. I would make my little brother sit down in our 'classroom' and teach him things. I would line up my teddies next to him and give them all names and pretend they were my 'class' to teach. I chose all my subjects carefully in highschool to ensure I had the most all round approach to learning, to better my chances of making a great teacher. Going through highschool not once did I ever think I would be anything other than a teacher. I applied to Uni for a Bachelor of Education and commenced the course in 1996.

I completed that first year of Uni and then decided to defer so I could work for a year to make enough money to see me through the last 2 years of Uni. I was expected to support myself whilst studying but found working part time whilst studying was much too difficult and considering I had already done that through my senior years of highschool I felt totally and utterly burnt out.

Once I entered the workforce I enjoyed the financial rewards, I enjoyed my freedom and the concept of not having my head stuck in a book. I left my job working at a supermarket and got myself a job at the bank, where I loved working. I worked for 3 years for the bank until my appetite for learning more got too much and found myself working in financial planning. There I stayed until I was married and started a family and then decided to leave full time work to focus on helping our family through some difficult times (whilst Bailey was being diagnosed with Autism).

That was 6 years ago and since then I've never returned to full time work. In 2005 I completed a certificate in Beauty (Make-up) and do a little freelance work through my Mum's hair salon to give me a bit of spare cash & as an outlet for my creative energy. It's not what people expect of me, it's not 'using my brain' as some would say. For a while I felt guilty that I wasn't living up to other people's expectations of me. I would cringe when someone asked me "what do you do?" or when friends or family would just assume that I was still in 'bankworld' or selling insurance.

These days I realise that the only person I need to keep happy is myself. The financial side of not working full time doesn't bother me anymore these days. I think for two reasons. My husband has a nice little business and works hard to provide for us with all we need. But the biggest reason is I've also gotten used to living within our means which I think is a lot harder than most people would think. Well worth the sacrifice though when I can truly say I derive happiness just from being me and just from living my life, not from the car I drive, the office I work in, or the house I live in.

There is only one thing I regret these days in the last nearly 33 years of my life. That is not returning to finish that Education degree. It is only now that I am homeschooling Bailey that I am realising why I always wanted to be a teacher. All the thrills of teaching a young child about the World around them is coming back to me. I guess in a way I'm doing exactly what I always should have been doing.

Maybe one day I'll go back to Uni and I'll officially become a teacher, but for now I must say I am most happy teaching my children all they need to know. I might not get paid with money for all the work I do, but everytime one of my boys learns a new skill or impresses me with their talents I can say "I taught him that!" That's worth more than all the money in the world.

Until next time,
Take care,
Farewell.