What did you want to be when you grew up?

MissChateline

I was fascinated by Roman and Egyptian history and wanted to be an archaeologist. I was told by my teachers that I had to study Ancient Greek. Having just failed my Latin O’ level I didn’t think that this dream could become a reality.

Me too!

When I was 60 I finally went to go on a dig!

Now maybe I should start taking ballet lessons??

I wanted to work with animals. In my teens I realised my poor science and maths abilities meant I couldn’t be a vet. At 17 I wanted to join the police dog or horse teams. My dad was a senior officer in CID and advised me police cadets or officers were directed, didn’t get to select their chosen area of work. He added that police work wasn’t a job for women. Years later he apologised for his previous views on women. He said in recent years he’d worked with excellent female officers and now believed I could have been one

In charge of my own life basically.

As an armed forces brat and brought up by a mother who was not a "mum" and had been brought up in her turn by a (grand)mother meant her ideas of motherhood were a generation out of date.

So I was making myself a lot of promises that:
- I was never going to have someone else move me again
- I'd have a warm house
- I'd eat what I decided I would (including plenty of fresh fruit). Yep...it wasnt a healthy diet she fed me.
- I'd wear exactly what I chose

Just generally making my decisions for myself. I didn't like being a child and was assured that, as a baby, I was very prone to screaming and crying etc and would only calm down when I was handed to my father - at which point he got the "goo goo eyes and I shut up and snuggled up" treatment.

So - I was distinctly pleased when the age of majority got reduced from 21 to 18 not long before I got to 18 and thought my mother would stop trying to make my decisions for me three years earlier. She didn't stop and I was still at school (ie so not financially independent) and so it didn't take that long after I left school at 18 to emigrate to Denmark (I came back again - and that's a whole other story of reappearing back in England and getting a bedsit to move away from her).

So yep - grown-up and independent and I didn't think much beyond that (other than assuming I'd get married and climb the housing ladder to a detached house).

I wanted to be a ballerina. Ballet dominated my life from the age of 9 to 14, when reality kicked in and I realised I just didn’t have the talent. I also grew rather too tall, although I had the right sort of slender/skinny figure. Ah well. I became a lecturer in English, much more prosaic.

Grannybags

A famous showjumper with a stable full of gorgeous horses

Snap Grannybags didn't make it to be famous, but have competed at a local level in eventing and showjumping. Still own ponies in my old age

David Cassidy’s wife.
Away from my horrible parents.
I had very little ambition.

A geologist, after I'd got my degree at Cambridge.
Thwarted by the army. We were an army family and were moved at a critical point in my education when I had to leave my excellent grammar school to somewhere far inferior where I lost all motivation. Probably wouldn't have happened anyway as my parents weren't well off and Mum wasn't inclined to send a girl to university.
Had it happened though, I wouldn't have had my dear DH and children who meant/mean far more to me.

A flamenco dancer.

I wanted to be a teacher and was a very bossy small girl. Then a librarian because I loved reading. Then l flirted with being an air hostess as a teenager but the careers advisor put me off that. I considered acting too as I was involved in Youth Theatre. Ultimately I went to university and did a joint degree in English and Librarianship. I was a librarian for twelve years then an English teacher for well over twenty years. Acting was something I did in my leisure time.

I wanted to be a teacher but the nearest I got was listening to children read at the local Primary School.

I became a University Administrator.

A circus performer.

I was fascinated by Roman and Egyptian history and wanted to be an archaeologist. I was told by my teachers that I had to study Ancient Greek. Having just failed my Latin O’ level I didn’t think that this dream could become a reality.

I wanted to be a dancer with Pan’s People on Top Of The Pops, my favourite TV show.
I used to practice in the kitchen when nobody was there. A very bizarre ambition, because I’m shy, and nothing on earth would persuade me to perform anything in front of anyone!

A farmer like my uncle.

When I was very young, I wanted to be an air hostess. After seeing The Sound Of Music in London, I dreamed of being one of the von Trapp singers! (I did land the part of Elsa in an amateur performance years later!)

As a teenager I fancied journalism but ultimately became a secondary school music teacher, later retraining to work in primary schools where I remained for 25 years. Involvement in the performing arts sustained me at work and beyond and continues to do so. 🎶 🎭 🩰

Healthy.

I wanted to be a teacher in Africa never did get to Africa and never became a teacher

Happy.

Ballerina, or any sort of dancer really.

A vet. Knowing one or two amongst our friends, I am glad not to have been because of the sadness involved with putting animals down and seeing ill treated animals. Apparently in my country they have the highest suicide rate, sadly.

Air hostess. Mam said no and that was it!

I wanted to be a nurse. I liked the idea of helping people, by the end of the 1st fortnight I realised I didn’t particularly like bodily fluids, most especially other peoples. The dream and reality were a bit different! I finished the probation period and bowed out realizing I wasn’t as strong or brave as I thought I was. Have since always had huge admiration for those that do this demandingly hard work. They deserve medals, all of them!

I wanted to be a photo - journalist
I started working in photography age 15 ,never did the journalism though.Weddings,commercial and Industrial and PR,started our own business age 21 and 22 and worked until Covid when I was 66 .Loved my job .

I wanted to be a Customs Officer like my Dad, who, knowing that the job for females in the Civil Service in the late 50s purely consisted of female body searches, put his foot down and stopped me. I went into banking instead, until I had my children. Once they were at Secondary school, and my father no longer had a say in it, I managed to achieve my dream and became a Customs Officer at the age of 34. I loved it, got a couple of promotions and stayed there until my retirement. Funnily enough, both our daughters followed me into C and E and are still there. The older one retires next year, which makes me feel very old!

I wanted to be a nurse and eventually managed to complete my degree in MH nursing as a mature student. Got there in the end ❤️