Stop treating children as an investment!
Let children design the frame of their own future according to their circumstances and the foundation of their soul. Be the bow that is always willing to let its arrow fly to find the coordinates of its destiny.
Bondowoso (ANTARA) - A second-semester university student, let us call him Budi, often confides in a senior from his high school days. When pouring his heart out over the phone, Budi almost always ends up in tears because he cannot bear the burden of studying a course that does not match his soul’s calling.
Budi chose a degree in science and technology only to repay a debt of devotion to his mother, who insisted that the young man, who loved humanities subjects, particularly foreign languages, take an engineering course.
Budi’s senior had run out of words to strengthen his junior’s resolve. That confidant was reminded of a “haunted” spot in the city where Budi studies. He warned Budi not to pass through the location known as a place where despairing young people have chosen to forcibly end their lives.
“Oh dear. Please forgive me, and pray that Budi never does anything reckless like that. Although, honestly, the thought of taking that shortcut did cross my mind, thank God the Almighty still loves me,” Budi replied to his senior’s warning.
Budi is one of many young people, particularly university and school students, who live their lives doing something under compulsion because they want to be “devoted” to their parents.
Recently, the senior grew curious because Budi no longer confided about the burdens of his studies. When contacted, Budi recounted that he is now processing his withdrawal from his current campus because he has already registered as a new student candidate at a private university, in a course that matches his interests.
Budi counts as fortunate, because his parents eventually realised their mistake in guiding their child to piece together the puzzle of his future life.
In other cases, not a few parents stubbornly direct their children’s life paths according to the parents’ own wishes.
Even when parents are willing to compromise with their children, it usually only means changing majors — but one that must still accord with the parents’ choice, even though it remains misaligned with the child’s interests.
At first glance, parents who force their children to choose a particular major deemed to hold a bright future are carrying out the noble duty of parents towards their children. In reality, however, that choice merely fulfils the desires or ego of parents who were unable to achieve those dreams in their own youth.