What I Want to be When I Grow Up...

Above: Click on the image above to see what I wanted to be, when I grew up!

Watching Zachary grow up has been a great experience. It always amazes me how much they know at such a young age and how fast they grow! Zachary these days is obsessed with firemen, policeman and pilots. I think if he had to pick one to be when he grows up, it would be a fireman. He loves seeing the trucks and waving at the fireman when we see them on the streets. He also loves the movies where they show fire. Fireman Zachary Johnson has a nice ring to it.

Above: Zach at the firehouse last year in Boston, ready to put out a fire!

It’s funny to think about what we all wanted to be when we were little kids. I was going through some old photos and paperwork of mine and I found some information that I would never remember about myself at such a young age. My mother used to keep a journal on me when I was in elementary school and I am fortunate to still have this. When I was in Kindergarten I found out I wanted to be a policeman! Good Lord, I never would have imagined I would choose that. In the picture above they have options that you can choose from or write in and you can see the policeman box checked, if I had to guess the one I think I would have chosen out of those at 5 years old, I probably would have picked the Cowboy! Yee HAW! I love how “Mother” is an option and a flight attendant is referred to as “Airline Hostess.” I love it! After reading through the journal/scrapbook I do realize now what I wanted to be, an actor. I remember our school was having a huge play called “Peter Rabbit” and I wanted the lead part! I remember telling my mom I wanted to star in it and she bought the book and we read it etc.. it was all over the top. So a bunch of kids tried out and I got the part! HA! My mother even made the Peter Rabbit costume.

Above: That's me to the far left in the Peter Rabbit costume in 1980.

Above: The entire cast of Peter Rabbit, I am in the first row,
3rd from the left. Look at those rabbit ears!

As for my other half, Paul. I would think he would have also wanted to be a policeman, fireman or a pilot…..but I found out what Paul wanted to be!!! When Paul was just barley 2 years old he had his first taste of stardom! He modeled. Paul was a supermodel for Hedstrom strollers back in 1974 and he even graced the cover of the magazine!

Above: Paul graces the cover of the magazine, oh wait...
he's sleeping on the job!

I think it's a great idea to save all the little pictures and papers of your children so they can look back one day and reminisce on their youth. I started a box of memorabilia for Zachary when he was under two years old and I am going to continue to add to it. Someday I'll give it to him when he is an adult and I hope he has fun exploring and remembering!