A Few Tips for Talking to Your Child About Their Career Path

Why?
How come?
Parents often consult me, saying that when they ask these questions, their children shrink away and stop talking.

For example,
"Why do you want to go to that university?"
"How come you want to become that?"

As a parent, you worry about your child's career path and feel anxious.
That is why I thought perhaps these questions are turning into 'interrogations'.

From the student's perspective,
"Why do you want to go to that university? (What are you going to do after going to a university like that?)"
"How come you want to become that? (That's probably impossible for you)"

Students are struggling with their career paths and often lack confidence.
So, I realized they stop talking because they expect their parents to reject their career choices.

The reason they feel like they are being interrogated by their parents might be becausethe student may have had experiences where their parents reacted negatively to the words they spoke.

When talking to a student about their career path, first accept what they say.

"I see, so you, [Student's Name], are thinking about [career path]."

Just by saying their name and repeating back their words to show you have acknowledged them, it becomes much easier to talk about their career path.