When I Grow Up…

As children, we are told we can become anything our hearts’ desire. So why are people so surprised when children give colorful answers when asked what they want to be when they grow up?

I vividly remember my response to that question. I knew I was going to be a mermaid when I grew up. I loved the water. While other kids played Marco Polo in the shallow end of the pool, I was deep under the water, imagining what my beautiful tail would look like when I grew up.

www.mermaidmelissa.com

I hated leaving the water. My mom would always give me a five minute warning before I had to get out, but I never listened. When she would tell me to head towards the steps of the pool, I would dive underwater and pretend I hadn't heard her. Sorry Mom.

I worshiped Ariel. I would have been content with being best friends with Flounder and collecting dinglehoppers for the rest of my life. I even put a seashell necklace, like the one from The Little Mermaid, on my cat, who I believed, wanted to be a mermaid as well.

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Eventually, the dreary old grownups told me I couldn't be a mermaid when I grew up. Apparently, grownups needed to have jobs not tails. Even though I was told that becoming a mermaid was impossible, I've never given up my interest in mermaids.

One day, while perusing through random YouTube videos, I came across the answer to my “mythical creature” problem—Mermaid Melissa. Melissa is a professional mermaid performer who uses her underwater entertaining to educate the world with her message: “Let’s help save our oceans before all creatures become mythical.” 

There are many other mermaid performers, like Mermaid Melissa, all over the world. They get paid to make appearances, both in and out of the water, in gorgeous tails that bring fantasy into reality.

iamamermaid.com

www.modelmayhem.com

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And mermaid performers aren't the only ones who can live out their childhood dreams. There are several companies that create custom-made tails, with materials ranging from swimsuit fabric to silicone. Realistic mermaid tails can be pricey, but some tail retailers offer rentals.

www.seatails.org

I’m comforted by the fact that we can really become whatever we wish. We don’t have to give up the fanciful dreams of our childhood days. If a child tells me she wants to become a mermaid someday, I can proudly tell her that her fairy tale ending is only the swish of a tail away.

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