What Were Your Childhood Dreams? | Maris Ehlers Photography

What were your dreams as a child?  Do you remember?  Are you now what you dreamed of back then? 

Mine evolved over time, but at the age of five I remember wanting to be Miss America.  Thank goodness that didn't pan out! 

I also remember frequently dreaming of being a singer when I was a tween, and I would put on this pink dress that my mother had bought me and pretend to be a guest on The Johnny Carson Show.  I'd sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" first (Judy Garland, eat your heart out) and then sit down for a very interesting interview with Johnny and Ed.  

Some of you have your dreams at night.  I have mine during the day. 

It's true.  I am the ultimate daydreamer. Most kids are too, I think. Sadly, the real world eventually knocks it out of them. Dreaming is not just something good- it's also hope. For ourselves, for the future. It keeps us looking forward, challenging us in ways that take us beyond what we can see today. 

As a parent, I love it when my kids dream big but it can also be frustrating, too.  That's because kids think their thinks, dream their dreams on their own timeline, not yours or mine.  My son likes to tell me all sorts of crazy things he's thinking, elaborate, impossible solutions to problems that don't exist - but he usually likes to tell me when I'm trying to hurry him along in the morning.  My responses some times are "Ok, great. Now hurry up and get dressed."  I have to be mindful that when I discourage his dreaming because of my timetable, the less likely he'll continue to share them.  That would be devastating for us both.  

A couple of weeks ago, I received a call from my son's teacher.  We have issues in the classroom at times, and they often revolve around him not staying on task long enough to finish his work.  This day, she said he was literally out in space, looking all over the room instead of doing his work.  

I later asked him what he was doing, and with that look of wonder and animation that only a child can have, he said he had been watching a tiny little feather float around the room.  Up, down, twirling around.  He was still captivated by it as he told me about it. 

Some might say that a good mom would tell her son to quit daydreaming in class and get his work done.  Part of me really wanted to.  But I could just see him with his big blue eyes filled with delight, dreaming of what it might feel like to be a feather floating around the room, anticipating where it might land next.

I decided we harp on him enough to focus, get his work done, do what the other kids do that Harvard be damned... I was not going to take the joy of that moment away from him for anything.  So instead, I listened to him tell me about this tiny little feather on its own little journey and the surprise that it eventually just disappeared, leaving only a memory and a smile. Just like his childhood will. All too soon.  

  H dreams of being a scientist.  Here are some images previously displayed on facebook of the Childhood Dreams Session we did a couple of weeks ago.  Will these actually increase his chances of becoming one?  Probably not.  We joke that our goal is to get him to adulthood without him joining the circus or something, but it's fun to dream.  I know that whatever he chooses to do, and however many paths he takes to get there, he will share a joy of life with others.  He'll be kindhearted and generous, he'll use his creative brain in ways I can't even imagine, and he'll always inspire me to dream big.   I can't ask for more than that. 

What does your child dream of being when he/she grows up?  

Sometimes parents say they want to wait to book a session because their child is missing a front tooth, and I just don't get that.  Those gap-tooth smiles are part of their transition into "big kid land".  Capturing it through images is such a GREAT way to remember this time in their childhoods.

Here he is pretending to drink his crazy experiment.

Oh, no!  What is it doing to him?

Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all.

It's turned him into a mad scientist!  Eek!

Quick break for makeup by aspiring makeup artist and younger sister, A.

Oh, oh.  This was his "Dr. Evil" look. 

Crazy is as crazy does! 

I'm in trouble now.

I took our favorites and made them into a framed collage which is on his wall.  Now he can visualize that dream whenever he chooses.  I hope this will make him feel more confident in pursuing his dreams!

This week, since we've launched the spring mini-sessions for kids, shown you new BFF sessions for girls, it's probably obvious that the MEP blog is all about children, and we have some great topics yet to come, including how to teach your kids to take pictures.  We have been changing a lot about the blog's design, focus and content and the responses have been great, so look for the topics to change weekly.  We hope you'll join us each day!