Relationships and Family con't

Having to choose, would you choose love over a career? Or opposite?  I think this totally depends on at what point of your life you are in when someone asks this question. How about love of a job that will not lead to a steady career? That is exactly where I was at for at about 15 years. Now that I am happily married, work does not consume my life. Before I worked long hours and was happy to do it. Now I am not willing to give so much to my job because I have better things to do with my time.

 Do we inherit our parent's dreams, fears, and wants? I am not sure about that because as far as I can tell my parents did not have dreams or fears or wants. My father worked and my mother was a stay at home mother(I have 5 siblings) and I do not really think that they ever mentioned wanting another life. We were very lucky that my dad had a very steady job that paid well enough that he could take care of us with little problems. I think he liked his work because he had to be at work at 7 am and he usually left the house about 5am with about a 15 minute drive to work. I think a lot of the men he worked with did this and they all socialized before work. Mostly I think my parents were concerned with making a decent wage and not so much worry about "their lifes work". When I was younger I just wanted to enjoy my job, now not hating it is enough.

Do you believe that many of our fears and misconceptions about our careers stem from our fears and misconceptions of being a parent? I have no idea about this one, I do not have children and have never wanted to be a parent. I do think that most of the reason I never wanted children is because I was the youngest of 6 kids and my parents lifes were BORING to me. We never took family vacations or anything fun. I am nothing like them in the respect that I seriously do not think my mother has been more than 20 miles away from the tri-state in more than 50 years. This is not the life I wanted and this is why I do not have children. I know its not rational but growing up I seen having a family as being tied down and as having zero freedom. I like my life and I do not regret my decision but when I am elderly and in a nursing home I may lol.