I think it’s every child’s dream to make their parents proud however it becomes a problem when a child doesn’t follow their own dreams in order to make their parents proud.
Did you know that every year more than a million students graduate from high school, and most will go on to college? Let’s celebrate right? Not so fast because nearly 40 percent of those who go to four-year colleges and some 70 percent of students at a community college will never earn their degree. I think it has a lot to do with my intro paragraph, most children do things just to please mom and dad and that needs to stop.
If your parents refuse to support the future you’ve envisioned for yourself understand that it’s ok. You may feel especially guilty if they are paying for your studies but they have no right to choose your career or path. I think parents who do this, need to sit back and think about the long-term damage they are creating for their children’s lives. If your parents are financially assisting you, all you owe them is to take college seriously; that’s it, nothing else.
Parents must realize if they force their children to study something that their children did not want to study in the first place they will eventually fail or quit. What does this mean for both the parents and the children? Parents will lose thousands and thousands of dollars, possibly their retirement money and the worst they will give their child insecurities to deal with for a lifetime. Ask your children what they want?
For the parents reading this, let’s give our children love and support whether they want to get a job right out of high school, go to trade school or go to college. Parents should be their support system no matter what. I feel some parents are more worried about losing their bragging rights than their child’s pursuit of happiness. I’m sure that everyone wants their parents to be proud of them, but first, you need to do what makes you happy, even if it breaks their hearts, they will get over it. Please follow your own heart first!
By Rosa J Parra