Children Should Be Able To Do What They Enjoy Without Parental Pressure

Parents shouldn’t pressure kids into careers that they don’t enjoy

By: Taren Vaughan

A child’s parents are individuals that are very influential in many aspects of that person’s life. Knowing that they have such a huge impact, parents sometimes think that they have all the answers as to what their kids should do; especially when it comes to choosing career paths. Some parents make suggestions about what degrees or jobs that their children should look into. Then there are those parents that try to shove their opinions down their kids’ throats. Should children be pressured into a career that they don’t want to do?

As a parent, you may notice that your child is talented in a particular area. So you take it upon yourself to steer them in that direction. But if your child resists, then maybe it is something that they are just not interested in pursuing. Your child may really excel in an area of academics like math or science. That does not mean that they are on their way to someone’s medical school. And their parents should not make them feel obligated to take that route either. That child may have something else in mind as far as a career is concerned.

There are instances where the parents and the children do see eye to eye. What a child wants to do for a living may be exactly what their parent had in mind for them. Or a child may become so overwhelmed by their parents’ persistence that they just give in and do what their parents want them to do. How unfair is that to your child? Shouldn’t they have the freedom to choose what kind of job or degree they get?

Pressuring your children into doing something that they don’t truly want to do can be very harmful to their success. It can cause the child to be rebellious and that is the last thing that a parent wants to see happen. Instead of telling them what they should be doing, you should be inquiring about what it is that they WANT to do. Take a moment to really listen to your children. They will open up to you and tell you exactly what their interests are. Then you as parent will know what direction they want to take in life. You may be surprised at the things that you discover. You may learn about a hidden talent or new interest that your child has.

At the end of the day, parents should ultimately want their children not only to be successful. But they should want them to be happy too. There are many people in this world who make great salaries but they despise their jobs. You wouldn’t want that for your child now would you? Their happiness should be the most important thing to you. And if someone follows their heart and does something that they really love to do, God will ensure that that person will be okay financially. I don’t know about you, but I would rather be doing something I love and be very content than to have an endless amount of money and be absolutely miserable.