Janet Stemwedel is marking everybody's favorite Hallmark holiday by posting an interview with her mother about going back to school to get a science degree. As Janet says, this was a major inspiration to her:
I would not be who I am or where I am today without my mom, Sally Stemwedel. Although I probably couldn't (or wouldn't) fully grasp it when I was a kid, when she went back to school in her mid-30s my mother opened up my understanding of the world of higher education and of science, and offered me a vision of a woman's work that the society at large did not.
It's a very nice tribute, and worth reading.
I'd like to offer something similar, but to be honest, I can't think of anything specific either of my parents did to inspire me to go into science. That's mostly because I've been interested in science as far back as I can remember-- a family anecdote has me telling my kindergarten teacher that I planned to be either a paleontologist or a marine biologist (I forget which-- I was into both things at that time). Mostly, they just supported me in whatever weird enthusiasm I happened to be going with at any given time.
Probably the best tribute I can offer to both of my parents is this: A few years ago, someone asked me at dinner, "You always did well in school, and never got in any trouble. Why was that?"
I thought about it for a while, and answered "Honestly, it never occurred to me that there was any other option."
That's a credit to my parents. Not the fact that I'm oblivious-- that they created an atmosphere where it just didn't occur to me to do anything other than the right thing. So, Happy Mother's Day, Mom (and an advance Happy Father's Day, Dad)-- you guys did good.
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Sounds like our parents hung out together at the parenting classes that are oh so needed again. Although can't say they were all that thrilled when I decided to do the military thing. They adjusted and got over it though. Having my own daughter I wonder how it will be when she decides she is grown and decides to make her own decisions, knowing I won't agree with all of them, I wonder if I'll react any better than Dad did.
I never thought there was an option to misbehave, either. I can go you one better: I used to tell people at the tender age of 6 that I wanted to be a geophysist. Have you ever seen some one recoil in fear at the career goals of a little girl? I have. The word physics has a funny effect on some people. Sometimes I'd say "strong, so I can carry my babies in the field with me", that'd get strange looks, too. At least paleontologist and marine biologist are cool jobs that people understand. Most people get me, a (structural) geologist, confused with geographers and/or archeologists.(OMG, I get paid to look at bent rocks! AWSOME!)