It’s almost a cliche that parents try to force their children to follow dreams that merely exist in the heads of the parents. But every cliche has a semblance of truth, and to that end, we’d like to address it. You may think that you’re above such things. You may think you’ll be super accepting of whatever your kid wants to do. But just incase you’re secretly not, here’s why it’s important to let your child follow their own dreams.
You Want Them To Love What They Do
Ultimately, if you project onto them your passions, they may or may not fall in love with those passions too. But if they don’t, they’ll never want to pursue it—and you should be okay with that. It doesn’t matter that every person in your family lineage has been doctors. If your kid gets queasy from blood, then it’s just not for them.
Tread Lightly
Let’s take things a bit further. Assume you’ve accepted the fact that your kid isn’t doing what you hoped they’d be doing. We’d recommend being careful how you act with them. Depending on your level of approval of your kid’s choices, you may be making them feel inferior as a result. This is the last thing you want. Reach out to them proactively and tell them that you support them wholeheartedly. Your entire relationship may depend on it.