I am blessed with two teenagers - A Son who is taking a Gap year and studying a holistic honours certificate, due to the fact that he was unsure of what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Last week my daughter of 14 had to do a LO task on the career that she might be interested in.
This brings me to my point. Are we putting too much pressure on our children? Why is it necessary for a 14 yr old to start figuring out what she wants to with her life till she retires with a inadequite pension fund at 65 - don't parents and the system put our children through hell by making them think this is the only answer. Some of the most interesting people (and they do not have a shortage of money) have done a lot of different things in life. I too have studied to be a Fashion Designer, worked in a factory, was a full-time waitress, a ground hostess at SAA, a journalist, and a marketer for a video chain. All before I got married at 24. Yes, I too grew up with the saying " a rolling stone gathers no moss" In fact I heard it far too often. Currently I am a professional artist and owner of an art gallery. And make no mistake, I am still growing. Retirement is not an option! At 80 I will still start new businesses, to expand not only my income, but to enrich my life. O, but don't for one minute think I am backed in my way of thinking. When my son decided on his Gap year, I was confronted by another parent who felt that I had to guide him into Architecture (which he was tested for and wanted to study most of his life) However I felt that being his life, he had to find his own path. I told him he should search with his heart, not his mind for the ideal career. That brought him to holistic medicine, which lately evolved into a dream of being a chiropractor. Actually if I look at the books he's been reading for the last couple of years, its pretty logic. My daugter on the other hand, are passionate about three things: baking, photography and music. A beautiful voice fills our house every morning and on weekends the smell of cake and buttercream icing. Last weekend she made the most beautiful fondant cake with a music theme. Should I have her tested, force her to go to university because of job security? Or should I not too trust her to find her passion? What if she does a Pastry chef course, then do a photograpy course, maybe also do a course in events planning (she can organize) and do other smaller courses. Will she not be able to mould her own career, wake up every morning with a smile and passion, for she's doing what she loves. I'm sure then she too will be a success, something so important to our society.
It often feels to me that parents not only try to achieve their own dreams through their children, but by forcing their children in careers actually indicate that they do not trust their children. It is so sad of our society, with a beautiful youth who if given half a chance can have the brightest of futures.
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