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Support the dreams of your children, as they may be quite capable of deciding for themselves instead of you imposing your will on them.
As a parent, one should understand that your child and child’s happiness are far more important than any possible ‘ideal career path’ you have chosen or is in your mind. Whether your child wants to be a singer, a teacher, a choreographer, an editor, a writer, a painter, an actor, a videographer, a photographer, a pilot, a potter, a psychologist, a musician, a chef, a designer, a songwriter, a sportsperson, a journalist, a poet, a filmmaker, a researcher, a flight attendant or something else, your responsibility as a parent is to support the dreams of your child.
Parents shouldn’t force their children to do JEE exam preparations or send them to Kota to study if that’s not what a child’s true calling is. Today, there are multiple career aptitude tests available (even online and free). Because a child’s parents couldn’t become engineers or doctors themselves, wanting their child to choose that profession is not right and honestly, cruel too.
It is wrong to consider children unwise and not smart or intelligent enough.
No matter your educational and professional success, you need to leave it up to your children to decide in what direction they wish to take their career. This is not to say that a parent shouldn’t give their opinions when asked for or answer children’s questions, but it is to say that parents shouldn’t impose or give unsolicited advice.
Parents should not be affected by the rat race and should teach their children that over-competitiveness is neither healthy nor necessary. Also, what and how many extracurricular activities or co-curricular activities your child wishes to engage in (say, in school or in college) should be allowed to be decided by your child based on factors like personal choices, preferences, interest and liking. Your preferences shouldn’t dictate the course of your child’s academic and professional life.
It’s also necessary for parents to help their child understand that one (or many) bad exam/s, one (or many) bad semester/s, one (or many) bad year/s don’t mean that the world has come to an end and that it doesn’t really matter in the big scheme of things. Also, one should only support one’s child if they wish to change or switch careers in the middle of a degree or a job or whenever, because it’s the child’s life, after all, and what the child wishes to do with it is of most importance. Besides, a child wanting to take a break or some time off to think or decide life goals shouldn’t be frowned upon.
As Albert Einstein famously said, “I have tried 99 times and have failed, but on the 100th time came success.”
Even if a child doesn’t choose a profession of parents’ liking or preference, it is still the parents’ responsibility to ensure that their child feels secure (financially, emotionally, and otherwise). Bringing a child into the world isn’t the end of the journey; it is, in fact, the beginning. It is parents’ responsibility to help their children to realize their dreams.
One shouldn’t bombard their child with the burden of their own unfulfilled dreams or whatever it is that they want to achieve. In all honesty, if, as a parent, one has some aspirations of their own, then one should find a way of achieving those aspirations (whether it is degree/s or something professionally) ON THEIR OWN. Children are not an investment to give you returns (in terms of money and care in old age).
It’s crucial to spread the word regarding this by spreading awareness among colleagues, peers, domestic help, relatives or anybody you meet. Sometimes, children can actually surprise parents with their preparedness, plans and creative ideas for their future.
Today, the world has a lot more opportunities in a lot of fields and new opportunities are being created with each passing day. Today, children can grow up to be not just job-seekers but also, job creators. Once you provide your child with the support they need, then the sky is the limit.
Image source: Photo by Arun Prakash on Unsplash
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