When I Grow Up… Just Imagine!

A Chat with author, Erica Oliver

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

It’s a question adults ask children and teens all the time. However, is it a fair question? How are children supposed to answer when they can’t possibly begin to know all of the possibilities and potential their future has in store for them?

It’s a question we tackled recently on MomsTown365 with author and mom of two, Erica Oliver. Erica wrote the book, “When I Grow Up… Just Imagine.” The book is dedicated to showing our kids there is a world of possibilities.

Here’s an excerpt from our interview…

Mary: : What can you tell us about the book, the content and how you help moms with their kids?

Erica: Absolutely. So there are two things there’s, you know, from the parent’s perspective and how you can actually help your child tap into their passions.

In the book, the way it’s constructed is helping kids to open up and explore their passions. I provide 14 “Bubble Tips,” and those tips are to help tap into those passions.

Heather: Can you give us an example of how you help kids imagine the different jobs/careers that might be available to them?

Erica: I start with saying “Use your imagination and think of the many things that you can be when you grow up.” Did you know that you’re already being exposed to many professions daily when you go to the store or when you’re watching TV. Even when you’re looking out the window of a car, you are seeing the work of many different professions. For example, imagine, when you’re in a supermarket, you see all these things on the shelf. That item on the shelf didn’t just start on a shelf. It started with farmers and so many other people such as manufacturers, distributors, advertising, all of that, went into putting that one item on the shelf.

When you’re in the car and you’re riding down the street passing a bridge, buildings, traffic lights, there are so many people, so many different professions went into producing those buildings, the lights, the highways, the bridges. There are civil engineers and construction workers. There’s so many things you can be, you just need to use your imagination.

Erica’s book, “When I Grow Up… Just Imagine,” can be found on Amazon. Her tips are outlined in the book and the greatest takeaway we had during the interview. Encourage children to think beyond the box of cereal, beyond the traffic light and even beyond the doctor. There are so many different kinds of jobs and careers to dream about when you tap into your imagination. And, maybe, just maybe, us moms and dads might even discover what we want to be when we grow up!

To hear Erica’s full interview and other great chats with mom creators– go to MomsTown365.com.

https://momstown-inc-25ead185.simplecast.com/episodes/erica-oliver-when-i-grow-upjust-imagine