I should have qualified some of the things I said.
We have always encouraged our kids to live their dreams, but we also made sure they knew from the moment they made their decisions about college, that they also needed to eventually support themselves. (Even though they are aware they will have trust funds, we have never given them the option of relying upon that.)
As the article I shared stated, we made sure (long before we ever read an article like this), that they understood that “college is not a hobby.” Fortunately, their dreams happened to coincide with viable professions.
If, however, someone has a child that is interested in pursuing the arts, or sports, or some other field you feel they may struggle with, and you think they have real talent, versus wishful thinking–there are a couple of options I can think of.
-You could show them the stats with regard to success in the dream professions they want to pursue, so they are aware of their REAL chances of success.
-If, after that, they still choose to move forward, you could let them know that they will need to eventually support themselves, and, as the article stated, you could encourage them to pursue their dreams, while they concurrently pursue a “Plan B” should things not work out.
-OR, you could encourage them to pursue their dreams indefinitely, with no strings attached, as long as you are comfortable supporting them indefinitely–should things not work out.
Please realize these thoughts are just my opinions, and I wouldn’t construe them as advice. I wish you the best!
