What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up? A Parent’s Q&A

It’s healthy and fascinating how kids have different ideas of what they want to become when they grow up.

Some have realistic goals while others have unusual dreams.

Regardless of what they are, we as parents and caregivers to these children should know that we need to support them to help guide them towards the right path.

Don’t be Like Me

One of the easiest and probably the biggest mistakes we can make when it comes to our children’s dreams is using ourselves or loved ones as “goal models” for deciding on a dream.

Imposing a dream on them is almost like forcing them to want to be someone they’re not

If we come from a family of doctors, it’s natural to wish or expect our kids to become one, too.

Of course, it’s fascinating for us to have a vision of what they’ll become one day, but we also have to realize that it’s their lives and their choices that they’ll be living with. Imposing a dream on them is almost like forcing them to want to be someone they’re not.

Know Who Your Child Really Is

How would you expect your child to become an engineer one day if they have zero interest in building and creating things?

Or how would you envision someone you want to become a doctor if all they want to do is cook or bake? Learn more about your children and their interests so you can guide them better towards a clearer path.

Get involved in what they aspire to be and be supportive even if it sounds ridiculous to you.

What if They Don’t Know Either?

This is where your observation skills will come to good use. Point out what you’ve observed they like doing a lot and focus on that to find a good idea of their options. Have a relaxed and fun talk with them. This will double as a bonding activity and a milestone.

Odds are, they’ll know their true calling much later

Throw in some ideas even as a joke, the light mood will help them identify what they are capable of or what they might be interested to pursue.

But They’re Kids! Those “Dreams” Will Change

Yes, that may be true for most children, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That is also why it’s important to get involved early and every time they change their minds. Odds are, they’ll know their true calling much later.

Encourage Embracing Individuality

It’s easy to tell them what a good dream is versus a bad one. But we must always be mindful that we have to encourage them to embrace who they truly are inside.

Forcing them to do something that they know they’ll never be happy with will not yield good results for them in the future. Each child is unique and we need to understand and respect that.

At the end of the day it should be their decision to make. They will be the ones working on reaching those dreams.

With our guidance and encouragement, they will have the motivation and determination to keep pushing forward. Bottom line is we want them to become successful one day.

A successful person is one who bears a happy heart.

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