YOU CAN TELL AT AN EARLY AGE

What kind of person the little kid will be. No reason for tests, for analyses by experts. Just take them to a carousel. See what they choose to ride on the merry-go-round. That'll be the determiner.

If the kid selects the bench rather than a horse, well, he will be a huge disappointment. A milquetoast. One who never takes a chance. Knows no gusto. His future occupation--something in government service. Feeding at the public trough.

If the lil one opts for a duck or chicken or snake, rather that a steed, then that's the creative sort. Analytical. Choosy. All options open and available. A free thinker and free spirit. All types of creative occupational choices await. Free lance photographer heads the list for future employment.

A tot who selects a boring horse, that is one with little flair, less color, will be just that when grown. Pedestrian. Run of the mill. A trooper perhaps, but a mundane one tied down into the same job in the same town or city. A good provider who looks for road trips rather than any kind of real adventure.

The child who selects the first horse he comes to for fear that he'll have to wait out another turn before getting to ride is the cautious one. The pragmatist. He'll snap up the first job offered and be a valuable, steady employee. He'll be punctual and retire with more unused sick days than anyone else.

Finally, the one who is discerning enough to find just the right horse. One on the outside where he can be in the pictures riding and waving. The horse must look scary, bright colors, nostrils flared--I mean this horse will give him a much better ride than any other. The one will grow into adulthood and be just fine. He may not have the best job in the world, but he may, too. But he won't be married to it. It won't hold him back or hold him down. He is his own man.

Oh sure there are other kinds I've omitted on purpose. But one I must address is the one who changes horses often. He simply won't commit. He may hop on or off half a dozen before settling in. And then he usually picks a loser. By now, you can analyze what he'll be like as a grown up.

Don't try in your adult controlness to influence your child in making his or her selection. Just sit back and observe. Or next time you pass a carousel, just stop and put my theory into practice. We won't be able to see what they will become in later years. Or will we?