Stop Asking Your Kids What They Want To Be When They Grow Up!

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

When I was a child, I really hated this question. Not because I did not believe I wanted to be something, but because I did not have a good answer for it!

For heaven’s sakes, I was only 8 years old!

As adults, we always seem to be terribly disappointed with our children when we think they are not dreaming of something heroic that they want to do in their lives, like become a doctor or a lawyer

The main problem with this question is that it forces your child to define themselves in terms of work at such an early age.

Because let’s face it: when you ask your child what they want to be when they grow up, you don’t expect them to say something like ‘a father’ or ‘a mother’ right?

This might be one of the reasons why children start overvaluing success at such an early age instead of valuing their ability to care for others.

So when we define ourselves by our careers and jobs, our worth depends on the achievements in our lives!

Secondly, by asking your child what they want to be when they grow up careerwise, you are fooling them into believing that there is one calling out there for everyone.

Don’t get me wrong, having a calling can be great, a joyous thing!

However, research conducted has shown that when your child enters the adolesecent stage, it normally leaves them feeling confused and lost!

In fact, most, if not all callings normally go unanswered.

Even if your child manages to overcome all these obstacles, there is another problem that arises.

Careers never live up to your childhood dreams and expectations. In fact, one American study showed that university graduates looking for the perfect job were left more stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed with the whole process and thus, became unsatisfied with the outcome of their careers.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for encouraging your children to dream big.

But when doing so, make sure these aspirations and dreams are bigger than their work and career.

Asking your children what they want to be makes them develop a career identity early on which they may not want 10 years later.

Instead, open their mind on thinking of what kind of individual they want to be in society. As well as the different things they might want to do through their life!