To be or not to be, That is the Question: Following in Your Parents Footsteps!

Thoughts and musings

To be or not to be, That is the Question: Following in Your Parents Footsteps!

Lewis | December 17, 2015 | 0 Comments

Potentially, for some, the prospect of following in the footsteps of your parents is not always the most desirable career path one can take. The child in any professional household, in any era, may wish to strike out and forge their own destiny. However, a recent article in the FT Weekend Magazine brought to my attention children not following in the footsteps of their parents is particularly acute in the gardening profession.

 

The article tells the story of Martin Gee, the head gardener of Weston Park Staffordshire. He will be the last of six generations to work the lands of Western Park – a member of the Gee family has worked on the grounds since 1803. Martin has a daughter but she expressed from a young age that she had no interest in following in her father’s footsteps.

 

After reading this article I delved a little deeper and it turns out that we are three times more likely to choose a different career to our parents than go into the same profession. In many ways I like to independence aspect of that stat – we are not afraid to spread our wings and find our own path. Although there is part of me that feels we may be loosing some of the quaint English traditions that make this country great. It will be nice to think that in a few generations time Oakleigh Manor will still be going strong, with the same traditions and values we hold dear today.

 

If you wish to read the original article please click here.