Who Would You Say You Are?

When you were a child, who did you want to be when you grew up? Are you grown-up yet? If yes, are you who you said you wanted to be? If yes then great! Does it mean you stop growing? If no, then it means you are still growing up? Did who you want to become change along the way and/or is it still changing?

Too many questions?! I know... what does it mean when we ask children “who/what do you want to be when you grow up?” The question seems to imply that when you become that which you want to be, growth suddenly stops but is that really the case? Would we say there is an endpoint to growth or is it continuous? Would a better question be, “who/what would you like to be/do as you grow up?

Does “who/what would you like to be when you grow up” sound limiting or close-ended versus “what/who would you like to be/do as you grow up?” What are your thoughts? 

 The art of questioning is more for better understanding/clarification of how other people understand certain concepts. The reason why most of my blog post titles are in the form of a question. So on more questions within the subject matter. 

March is Women’s History Month; so in line with that, what does the phrase “Strong Independent Black Woman” or “Ms. Independent, really mean? Does Strong Independent Black Women (SIBM) or Ms. Independent (MI) mean putting on a tough front, showing no emotion, being about “I can do bad all by myself”, what a man can do, a woman can do better… or...?

While at it, the story of what a man can do, a woman can do better is like comparing day and night in my opinion; the Sun rises for the day while the moon for the night. An example would be a woman’s ability to conceive and give birth which men do not naturally have the ability to do even though science is onto something else. Women are naturally nurturers, caregivers, and homemakers but there are men who learn through upbringing or life experiences to play that role… Now it feels like this is diving into gender roles or is it equality or equity?

I’m all for closing the gender wage gap especially for entry-level positions because a man and a woman with the same education level and degree are equal in that aspect, so why the difference in pay? While in the cause of working, if one person obtains additional certifications and training, their increase in pay should reflect that rather than their gender.

This year’s women’s history month/International Women’s Day theme; #ChooseToChallenge… While reflecting on what that implies and how it could be applied, I also found myself reflecting on Michelle Obama’s book Becoming which I read in early 2019. The book sectioned into Becoming Me, Becoming Us, and Becoming More was a revitalizing read which I shared some of my thoughts in a previous blog post Who Are You? This connects to the opening questions in that growth is becoming (a continuous process) growth doesn’t end when we become.