Raising a Future Lawyer

As of this writing, I have two kids. One teenager and one pre-schooler. If you are a lawyer parent just like me, I am most certain that you fancy the idea of your kids following your footsteps one day. You yearn to have a lawyer-daughter or lawyer-son in the near future. Despite the difficulty and challenges of the profession, the thought of having a kid who is also a lawyer still lingers inside you. Now, the important question is, how does one raise a future lawyer?

I can only share what my mom did to me. Because THAT worked! Thinking about it just now, my mom played a significant role in my journey to become the lawyer that I am today.

When I was little, as early as I could talk, I was told (brainwashed?) by my mom that I should become a lawyer someday. There was no lawyer in the family that time. In fact, I am the first lawyer in the family. So growing up, whenever I was asked what I wanted to be in the future, I ALWAYS answered, “a lawyer.” Even without fully comprehending the word “lawyer” or knowing what a lawyer does for a living, my answer was still the same.

My mom emphasized during my elementary days the importance of subject and verb agreement, good grammar and a wide range of vocabulary. She instilled her passion and love for reading in me. I read as many books as I can and I enjoyed it. The books were not just limited to text books and encyclopedias (Yes we had multiple sets of encyclopedias!). I also loved reading pocketbooks like Sweet Valley High and novels of Agatha Christie. My mom had a collection of Danielle Steel pocketbooks and several others, which I started reading in high school. This environment exposed me to the English language as early as elementary days. We did not speak English at home but this practice definitely improved my communication (oral and written) skills.

Come high school, my yearbook even declares my ambition as “To be a [CPA] Lawyer”. My mom is a Certified Public Accountant. She was the one who influenced me to consider becoming a CPA too, before I become a lawyer.

When it was time to take the UPCAT, there was no other course for me but Political Science. My second choice was still a BA course, which was a pre-law course as well. I set aside the CPA idea since I really don’t like numbers. It was one of my weak points. Still, my mom was there to assist and guide me all throughout the application period. She enrolled me in one of the UPCAT review classes. I remember waking up early in the morning every Saturday to attend those review classes. I guess it helped me because I passed the UPCAT. I was so happy.

Right after college, my law school days began. It was really something new! In law school, I tripped, I fell and I faced a lot of trials and challenges. It was literally life changing. What kept me going then was the constant guidance and support of my mom and my very own growing family.

Having a strong support system is critical to any law student. Law school is not a joke. I do not think anyone can be truly ready for law school. You just study, try to swim through the tide and hope for the best. Being a law student is one of the toughest roles I have played in my life. My situation back then (being a young wife and a mother) made it more difficult for me to finish law school. But I didn’t give up. Being a mother myself, I was more inspired to succeed. I was more determined to finish law school and pass the bar and become the lawyer that my mom really wanted me to be. I realized it was not my mother’s dream for me after all. It was really mine!

Fast forward to this moment, I can only say that raising a future lawyer is NOT easy. It takes time, money, consistency and patience to have a lawyer child. My mom has been there for me all throughout, together with my whole family. As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child”.

Now that I have kids, I try as much as possible to let them discover their dreams on their own. My situation before was certainly different from their situation now. I can only hope that someday, with the help of our entire “village”, my kids will choose the right path and achieve their dreams and purpose in life.

Great job to all of the hardworking parents reading this! You are awesome!

Hope you liked this post. This is Attorney Mommy, at your service!

Would love to read your comments and insights on this topic. Comment below. Thank you!