Having a pre-schooler, I don’t write about teens as often as perhaps I should. Here’s one item, however, that caught my eye:
A long-term study of high school seniors’ educational and occupational plans found a widening gap between goals and actual achievements. Ambition can be good for some, the researchers say, but can also lead to “disappointment and discouragement rather than optimism and success.”
It’s a fine line for parents. My instinct is to encourage and support my son in whatever he wants to become. At the same time, if I had wanted to be, say, an opera singer, I hope my parents would have had the sense to steer me gently towards careers more suited to my tuneless abilities. I suspect it’s a matter of a child’s age, too. When they’re young, I believe, they should feel like they can do anything. At some point, however, especially as they near adult age, a little honest, objective feedback can be useful. Shadowing programs like Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day may also help clarify what real-world options entail.
Right now, my son is deciding whether to be a firefighter, park ranger, paramedic, train engineer, or pirate. (“A good pirate,” he says.) I’m happy with it that way.
As a mother of five ranging in age from 9 to 21, I have always encouraged my children to explore their talents and interests. As we find things they love to do and are good at, we look at careers that may interest them. My oldest son is a great artist and plans on becoming a graphic artist (Once I convinced him a tattoo artist might have a tough time supporting a family). Another son is following his footsteps. One son loves science, math and football, so he is working on getting a football scholarship to a college with a Pharmacist program. My daughter studied theater arts in HS and wants to be a behind-the-sceens theater major in college. My youngest still wants to be an Army Ranger. :-)
If we didn’t have dreams, we wouldn’t set goals.
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