When it comes to parenting, there’s no how-to guide that can guarantee you success. We are all different, and this goes for our children too. What works for one child might not for another. At the end of the day, only you can know what’s going to work best when it comes to approaching serious topics with your kids. But at the same time, you’re going to reach out for a little help when it comes to the big things. One of the pivotal points of your kids’ lives will be when they finish compulsory education. This is a time when they decide where they’re going to head with their career. Now, many parents get a little too pushy when it comes to this area. They often mean well but end up pushing their child into an area that they’re not particularly interested in. Here are some big mistakes that people make and a few pieces of advice when it comes to avoiding them.
Just Because Your Child is Good at Something, Doesn’t Mean It’s Right for Them
By now, you know what your child is particularly good at. You’ve been reading their school reports for years! While some kids exhibit equal grades in all areas, the odd child here and there will really have a specialty. A subject that they excel in. Perhaps they always get top grades. Perhaps they receive recognition, achievements, and awards. But remember, just because your child is good at something, doesn’t mean it’s right for them. They might not enjoy the area. They might not have an active interest in it. They might downright dislike it. We understand that you want your child to excel and they might be able to make a really good living if they pursue the area. But at the end of the day, money isn’t the be all and end all in life. If you push them into it, they’re likely to waste years of their lives pursuing a degree or career while their heart isn’t in it. Sure, they might get A*s in biological science but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they want to be a medic. They might already have other ideas in mind. So just talk to your child. Ask them what ideas they have in mind. You never know what they might come out with. Perhaps they want to take part in activism. Maybe they want to travel and do business management degree distance learning. Whatever it is that they have in mind, support them!
Don’t Live Vicariously Through Your Child
While there aren’t many steadfast rules when it comes to parenting, living vicariously through your child is a sincere no-no. We all want the best for our kids, and we’ve probably succeeded in giving our little ones more opportunities than we had. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll want to pursue the same paths that we did. Sure, pursue your old interests yourself. But don’t push them on your children.
Following these sage pieces of advice will remove a whole lot of tension from discussions surrounding what your child wants to do with their career. Just remember, be supportive and make sure that they know that you’re there for them. That’s all that they need to thrive!
This is a contributed post.
The post Guiding Your Children on the Right Career Path appeared first on The Good Men Project.
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