Allowing Teenagers Some Room to Flounder

by Kori Rodley Irons | More from this Blogger

I was definitely NOT one of those kids who knew who she wanted to be and what sort of career she wanted from a young age. No, I really did my share of experimentation and floundering as a teenager and young adult. In fact, there are days when I still wonder what the Sam Hill I'm doing and when I'm going to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. It seems like there is so much pressure on teenagers now to pick a college, pick a career, and have their lives planned and organized by the time they start high school. What ever happened to giving teenagers a chance to flounder a little before embarking on the responsibilities of adulthood?

Now, don't get me wrong-I'm certainly not one of those mothers who wants her children to still be living at home, dependent, when they turn thirty. But, I also don't want my kids to feel pushed into choosing a career and starting to narrow their options and choices before they even get much of a taste for what is available out there in that big, ever-changing world. Besides, so much of what adolescents do is reactionary anyway, I'd rather they take some time to find out what they want to do for themselves-not what they think they want to do in order to NOT be like Mom or Dad or someone else.

The changes come fast for older teenagers. I see my kids maturing before my very eyes, it seems. So, I'd like to counter the trend of forcing them to "pick a major" before they even fill out their college application papers. I think a little room to flounder and mull over the options and choices should be a guaranteed part of the teenager's life.

See Also: Do You Know Where Your Teenager Wants to Go In Life?

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