Rebecca Eckler

I really, really like fortune tellers and Tarot-card readers. I put a lot of faith into these people, especially if I think they are for real. I recently went to one, who immediately knew that I had a C-section, that I was a writer, and that I have a heart murmur. (This was in Jamaica, so it’s not like this guy, with dreadlocks, knew anything about me. I was just another hotel guest.)

After he told me this, I really trusted him. So when he asked if I had a daughter (yes!) and I said yes, he told me that she was going to be a musician when she grew up. I was like, “cool!” This is not the first time a fortune teller had told me this.

Another fortune teller told me my daughter was going to do something in the arts and be very successful, which made me feel very happy and relived. But then I thought: “Hmmm, if she’s going to be a musician, maybe I should sign her up for some more music classes.” As of now, she only takes piano. Should I be signing her up for singing lessons, guitar lessons, or flute lessons?

And if I know she’s going to be a (successful) musician, then really, why am I spending so much time with her on her math and science homework? Why is she going to a private school that costs a bucket load of money? Why don’t I send her elsewhere? Then I thought, well, based on most musicians, or pop stars, she’s going to need to know math to deal with her money and business managers and agents. So doing math homework will stay.

But, according to that one fortune teller, who said she’s going to be successful, then maybe I should stop worrying so much about her doing well in school. I mean, hey, according to the fortune teller, she is going to be successful no matter what. Or should I still worry?

Of course, I do take things fortune tellers say with a grain of salt. But how awesome would it be if you could 100% believe what fortune tellers say to you? While I do really like them, and I am often amazed at how accurate they are, I suppose I still am a little skeptical. But if I knew with 100 per cent certainty that my daughter was going to be a successful musician, then perhaps I would be raising her differently – more music lessons, less worry about everything.

What do you think? If a fortune teller told you that your child, or children, would be successful no matter what, would you change the way you raise them? Share! (This fortuneteller also reprimanded me for not buying lottery tickets, which I’m going to start to do. We shall see!)

Follow me @rebeccaeckler

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