I was definitely NOT one of those kids who knew who she wanted to be and what sort of career she wanted from a young age. No, I really did my share of experimentation and floundering as a teenager and young adult. In fact, there are days when I still wonder what the Sam Hill I’m doing and when I’m going to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. It seems like there is so much pressure on teenagers now to pick a college, pick a career, and have their lives planned and organized by the time they start high school. What ever happened to giving teenagers a chance to flounder a little before embarking on the responsibilities of adulthood?
Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m certainly not one of those mothers who wants her children to still be living at home, dependent, when they turn thirty. But, I also don’t want my kids to feel pushed into choosing a career and starting to narrow their options and choices before they even get much of a taste for what is available out there in that big, ever-changing world. Besides, so much of what adolescents do is reactionary anyway, I’d rather they take some time to find out what they want to do for themselves—not what they think they want to do in order to NOT be like Mom or Dad or someone else.
The changes come fast for older teenagers. I see my kids maturing before my very eyes, it seems. So, I’d like to counter the trend of forcing them to “pick a major” before they even fill out their college application papers. I think a little room to flounder and mull over the options and choices should be a guaranteed part of the teenager’s life.
See Also: Do You Know Where Your Teenager Wants to Go In Life?