Follow Your Teen's Dreams!
As parents, we often complain of troublesome three year olds.
Three year olds are troublesome because they are developing from
babyhood to childhood.
Teenagers get the same reaction - developing from childhood to
adulthood is not an easy transition, and so much communication
can be lost along the way, especially with parents, who could,
with a little effort, be the teenager's best friend....
A certain understanding of the roots of a problem, and a lot of
acceptance can bridge so many gaps and ease the changeover from
a 3 to 5 year old, or indeed a 13-20 year old.
But how on earth do you find the root of the problem when you
hardly know what the problem is, and your teenager certainly
isn't going to reveal it to their parents. In your dreams!
The solution is to 'not' focus on the problem - we know in our
hearts that focusing on a problem will not find the solution.So
what do we do? We ignore the problem, or more to the point, we
put it on hold.
The most certain way to communicate with anyone is to ask them
what their dreams are, what they want from life, how they
visualize themselves in the future.
Get into their space:
Many teenagers will be dreaming of celebrity type status,
footballer, singer, film star. And before you decide for your
teenager that these dreams are unattainable, remember someone's
got to be doing it....
Find out what your teenager is interested in, ask them what they
dream about, and go with it. Yes enjoy it with them. Let them
dream and then help them on their way.Even if you're absolutely
convinced in your heart that your teenager has no acting ability
or can't kick a football to save their lives, that's not for you
to judge.
People achieve stunning things in this world, wouldn't you love
your child to be one of them. A happy fulfilled individual able
to share his or her success with the rest of us mortals?!
How many of us grow up with firm beliefs that we aren't capable
of achieving our dreams because someone at sometime told us we
didn't have what it takes?
Don't let that happen to your loved ones. Following your dream
should be an enjoyable experience. Most 'successful' people will
tell you it's not the goal but the journey that counts. You need
the goal though to be able to begin the journey.
Find out what your teenager is dreaming about....
Don't make the cringing mistake of making their dream something
you're particularly interested in. Your teenager won't respect
you for this and will more than likely be embarrassed by it.
The best way to help with the dream path, is to take the steps
logically, one tiny step at a time. Sit down and discuss the
possibilities and the impossibilities. Make some notes together.
Buy a homework book to note dreams and goals. Take it seriously.
Do a little research, and come up with the first step in the
process. Maybe you could download free scripts from the internet
to practise acting skills at home. Have fun acting out the films
and learn while you play!
Is there a local football club your budding football star could
join and train on Saturday mornings?
Don't be afraid to NOT achieve the dreams. I was always told
'you'll only get disappointed when you don't make it.' Well,
hey, a little disappointment and a slight change of direction
isn't nearly as devastating as never fulfilling any of your
dreams and resentfully working in a job you hate for the rest of
your life.
Keep an open mind, we change our minds and ideas as we grow
older, take on responsibilities, change our careers... It's
perfectly okay to change your goals and dreams, and this should
be clearly stated when you first chat about the dreams with your
teenager. As long as you don't ridicule the idea, you will find
a way.
A series of events while pursuing an acting career, could so
easily lead to the individual wanting to polish up his/her
writing skills. And what's wrong with that? The contact and
experience was necessary to find the right path towards
fulfilment. A less than brilliant sporting talent may result in
acting the part in the next blockbuster!
We can't predict the future, but we do all have a perfect right
to pursue our dreams and be happy in our lives. The happier we
are, the more happiness we share with others, and the happier
they are!