I was talking to my son the other day. He's a Junior in High School. As we spoke, I thought back to my time in high school. Oh sure, we had problems. It was 1982, and we dealt with things like drug use and alcohol use and such.
We like to tell our kids about how things were tougher "in our day". But as I compared my world back then with his world now, I realize that, in general, we didn't have it tougher. Granted, we didn't have all of the conveniences that are abundant today. We didn't have CD players or cell phones. But really...if you look back on your high school days if you were, say, pre-1985...you may be surprised.
Our kids are dealing with incredible pressures from schools to "be a success". In the eyes of the school, that means going on to a grand college or university and getting a high degree so that you can be a doctor or a lawyer or such. When I say incredible pressure, I mean it. These kids hear it several times a day in my son's high school. Add to that the fact that drug use is everywhere, pressure to be sexually active is everywhere, bad language, bullying and abuse is everywhere....incredible.
Frankly, I wonder what would happen if every kid became a doctor or a lawyer. Who's going to fix the plumbing? Who will build houses? Who will work in the dirty jobs?
So I ask you parents....are you pushing too hard to have a doctor or a lawyer in the family? Encourage your kid to do what he or she enjoys! Too many of us are stuck in jobs we hate, rather than doing what we want to do. Let your child thrive in their field of interest. Plumbers earn good money too!
Also, listen to your kids. Understand that the pressures they are facing are greater than what most of us faced. They are not adults yet. They need advice, they need encouragement, and they need a listening ear. Yes, they need limits too. Most of all...they need your time. Something they don't get during those hours they are asleep or in school. Nor do they get it when involved in myriads of after-school activities.
And start when they are young if you can. But even if they are already teens...just start.
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THANK YOU!! Would someone please tell this to my parents who had to walk uphill both ways (in California?) It really gets tiring to have the constant pressure to "go places" and to have one of the most common questions by my peers be to ask me what college I'm going to (for comparison's sake).
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