Rediscovering the 'Me' in 'Mumeeeeeee'

'I have always thought that there is no more fruitful source of family discontent than a housewife’s badly-cooked dinners and untidy ways'. (Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, 1861)

September 23, 2010

When you were young.....


When I was young, I wanted to be a PE teacher! I know. Shocking! I think this bizarre idea probably came from watching too much Grange Hill or something. I was always very sporty at school so, with very little awareness of many other 'careers' (having elimenated the usual ones of nurse, air hostess or hairdresser at a young age), this seemed like an obvious choice.

And then for some reason that all got ditched and when we had our career options meetings in 6th form, I decided I wanted to be a lawyer. "But you're very good at English," they said, "Would you not like to go and study English at university?" Erm, not really. My sister was doing that I didn't want to be accused of blatant copying!

Then I was put off law by someone telling me I might end up having to defend a mass mur-diddily-erderer or something, so I canned that idea (not having received any decent advice about solicitors, barristers, careers in business or corporate law or other types of law not involving the criminal underworld) and I ended up doing a Business degree. A safe, general, keep-your-options open kind of choice which led to a career Human Resources (cue the boos!).

And now, when I am not so young? Now I want to be a writer. And in many ways I am. I freelance, I blog, I've had interest from agents and publishers, I've had a column in a newspaper, I'm working on a novel. I write every day in some form or other. And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! So much more enjoyable than trying to encourage a bunch of sweaty kids to run around a track, or carrying out the legal due diligence on a business takeover, or interviewing the 50th socially inept candidate for a vacancy which is impossible to fill. But until I see my book, my creation, sitting there on the bookshelf, I can't really, truly believe I am a writer.

Suffice, to say, that I didn't really know what I wanted to be when I was young. But I do now.

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Thank you to the lovely Karen at If I Could Escape for passing this meme onto me. “What did you want to be when you were young” is the new brainchild of The Blog Up North. I would now like to pass the honor onto the following. Please borrow the graphic, mention who tagged you, tag some others and get writing. And, even if you’ve not been tagged, please feel free to join in.


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7 comments:

  1. That is spooky. My older brothers and sisters all read English at uni and so I veered away (despite that same chat at sixth form age.....)

    And here I am too, wanting to be a writer.

    Good things come to us that wait......

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  2. I did do English at Uni, I still want to be a writer and photographer. We will all get there.

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  3. Can I just copy this post and put my name under it? I want to be a writer, too!! :)

    Thanks for the tag! MMxx

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  4. I was just popping by on my blog rounds ad what a lovely surprise tag! I dont think anyone truly knows what they want to be until much older. You are a wonderful writer, good luck on that book.

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  5. Do you know what I think a writer is? I believe it's someone who can put words together in such a way that makes someone else,(a lot of someone elses in this case)want to read those words. These words will, more than likely, stay with the someone elses, long after they've read them and they will also want to read more, which is why I check back here to this blog on a daily basis to read the words you've written. Your words do stay with me after I've read them, they make me think and they make me want to read more. That makes you a writer as far as I'm concerned, I know you need to see, feel and smell the lovely collection of words on pages that make a book,(with your name on the front) before you can believe that, but trust me, you're a writer...

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  6. I wanted to be a teacher, and I have just started to volunteer at my son's school - I love it. I work in marketing blah blah... Good piece, I like what you write and I always laugh when I read your name Hot Cross Mum. -HMx

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  7. Oo, thanks for the tag. I'll take you up on this one.

    I'm so pleased you managed to find what you really want to do - especially as it means I get to read it. xx

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