[jalapeno]

I want to allow my children the freedom to pursue their own interests. I want to be able to help them find their passion and encourage them to reach their potential.

However, I also think the number of options out there could be incredibly overwhelming for a child. I remember feeling that way when I was in high school. I knew what "subjects" I was interested in but had no idea how that would translate to a career. I want to do more for my kids than say "you can do anything you want!" and then just leave them on their own to figure out what that might be. I'd like my kids to gain experience while still in high school in one of a handful of careers that my husband and I already have in mind. We're not going to force them to do anything and I have no problem with them choosing something else if they really have a passion for it. It's something we HOPE to be able to do because I think we can give them a real boost in certain areas. My own father provided me with a number of work opportunities while I was younger that I ended up learning a lot from. It took me many years to figure out what I wanted to do but at least I was able to support myself in the meantime. We hope to be able to work with our kids on this so that they'll have some type of work beyond fast food while they're figuring out what to do with their lives. It's not unusual anymore for people to have a number of distint careers throughout their lives (the last statistic I saw was that the average was 3 but I don't know how that was determined). So I see no problem with helping to guide (NOT push or force) our children into their first career. And I certainly don't think 9 is too young to start developing a plan. That's old enough to set up a lemonade stand - what's wrong with a parent suggesting maybe the child would prefer to walk dogs instead? I have a perspective that my child doesn't have - why shouldn't they benefit from that? Already there are times when I (gently) push my daughter to try something that I know she'll enjoy even if she doesn't think so. I let it go if she really doesn't want to. But when I'm able to encourage her to try, she likes it! So, I feel as though I already have ideas as to where each of my kids will excel and find enjoyment. The "career" plan just needs to stay flexible and include the kids input.