“What do I want to become someday?”

We were seated on a couch while listening to a song, which Hale had to familiarize as part of her lineup of songs on her Voice class. I gazed at her as she pondered aloud this question right beside me.

She said she wanted to be a gamer and a hacker. I counselled that she can study Cybersecurity later in college, which will allow her to become a certified ethical hacker. Eight years from now, only future knows how Cybersecurity will evolve its name to cater to the Alpha generation and onwards.

She continued, “Should I become a gamer, a hacker or a music creator—like music from ‘Fairy Tail’?” Fairy Tail is is not the typical fairytale we know, as obviously spelled differently, but a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was then adapted into an anime series, which was broadcast in Japan on TV Tokyo (2009-2019).

Did I hear it right? This is the first time she’s mentioning ‘Music’ as part of her list of options… When Hale and Chantry are allowed to use their gadget, I catch them together watching the Fairy Tail and ‘Owari No Seraph’ OSTs.

As I spend this time writing and listening to my kids’ choice of music, it dawned on me the similarity of my choice and theirs even when I was a child. I am suddenly reminded of ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ OST (1992) which reflects a similar sound to what they’re listening to.

I always thought Hale had no inclination to music in spite of her ability to sing well, but her history on Youtube reflects otherwise. A history of piano music and OST paraded before me, and a recollection of guilt hit me when I recall how I mistreated her when she was learning to play piano age 5. This, I had asked for her forgiveness. Now, seeing her face-to-face, the innate talent never actually died.

As soon as I heard Music as one of her options, I looked back at our family history and saw how this talent naturally surfaced from each one of us. From my dad and my siblings, now to my kids.

“Is there money in Music?”, “Start ’em young”, “You become what you are exposed to”—statements that reverberated on my mind.

It may be too early to assume that Hale will enter the Music industry later in her life. One thing I am sure of, my role and responsibility as a mother is to guide and support her in her endeavour…whatever that may be!