Is Your Child Uncertain About the Future? It’s Okay!
Helping Teens Discern Their Future
When I was a young man, I had no idea what I wanted to do in life! My future seemed muddled; nothing seemed to interest me career-wise. It seemed like the people I went to high school with were already launching their professions while I was spinning my wheels. I bounced around from job to job. In fact, here’s a list of just some of the jobs I had before I discovered education:
- Washing dishes
- McDonalds
- Line Cook
- Delivering pizza
- Bread delivery man
- Janitor
- Water treatment equipment sales
- Door-to-door salesperson
- Factory worker
- Rough carpentry
- Pest and wildlife control
- Midnight shift tow truck driver
At the time, I felt listless and unsettled, but looking back now, I see that there was nothing wrong with all this bouncing; it was simply that it took me longer to discern what I wanted to do with my life. Some kids know what they want to do right out of high school—you have those kids who start saying, “I’m going to be a veterinarian!” right from age 14, and they graduate, go right into veterinary school, and are practicing by the time they are 23.
Awesome as that is, that’s not going to be everybody. Many students will finish high school with absolutely no idea about their next steps. If this is your child, what should you do? Should you leave them undirected and let them sort it out themselves, or should you give them some nudging in a particular direction?
I recently went on Emily Brown’s podcast (“Happy Holy Mama“) to discuss these issues. Emily Brown is a Catholic life coach and the founder of Fiat Life Coaching, a coaching service catering to Catholic homeschool families. We had a great conversation about decision-making, motivation, and, in general, finding your way in life. We also talked about why you shouldn’t be alarmed if your child seems like he or she has no idea what they are going to do in life. I also tell many stories of my misadventures, sorting out my vocation!
If you have some time, give it a listen. You can find the episode on Apple podcasts here. Also, give Emily Brown a follow on social media at Fiat Life Coaching’s Facebook page.
I invite you to join me and other Catholic homeschooling parents at our Homeschool Connections Community or our Facebook group today.
