To not quash my ds aspirations?

[Isthisoneleft]

My 8 year old ds when asked the question what he wants to be when he grows up responds:

I want to go to University to study sport, and become a professional footballer, if I can't become a professional footballer I am going to be a train driver and play football in my spare time.

He will no longer answer the question when asked anymore. Because adults laugh at him when he says he's going to become a professional footballer and tell him he lacks ambition and is boring to want to be a train driver.

It breaks my heart to see his face when he has his dreams crushed. I personally think it's an absolutely acceptable aspiration to have.

AIBU to think that others should either keep their mouths shut or offer supportive murmurings? There is a long time before he's a grown up and he may change his mind many times before he gets there, but whatever he chooses to do and achieves I will fully support him.

What do your children want to be when grown up? And do you ever talk them out of any suggestions? If so, why?

It's not necessary, but OP's DS had a back-up plan which seemed perfectly reasonable but was being criticised by others.

Yanbu
I know a train mad 12 year old with the same aspiration and other children accept he's train mad and dodo friends and family.

I think it's sweet. My 7 year old wants to be The Stig and a pop star as a sideline.

My daughter also wanted to be a giraffe! She is 16 now and has changed her mind.

I wanted to be Freddie Mercury's wife. Never happened for all sorts of reasons, including but not limited to his untimely death.

People used to laugh at me for wanting to be a high court judge or a dogwalker. Now I am older, I can understand laughing at the judicial profession but still cannot fathom what is ignoble about dogwalking.

People are horrible for laughing at your son, but if he is going to be a professional sportsman, he's going to have to toughen up, poor little lad.

Dh tells a story of when he told his parents he was going to be a train driver. They said 'oh, no, you're going to do your A levels' (that was in a time and place when train driving didn't call for A levels, or rather the foreign equivalent). He said 'fine, I'll be a train driver with A levels'. (He ended up as a clinical psych).

My eldest is 8 and I would never deride his job dreams, but I do tell him what's involved to a degree, esp when they involve difficult-to-get-into professions.