25/08/2025
So dear parents, this is a new week and the pressure is already on almost every parent who has a teenager preparing for university or college. I just want to address a very important issue.
While you are so excited, running around for admissions, and already dreaming of becoming “Mama Doctor” or “Papa Engineer,” your child may be lying quietly behind you, showing all the signs of refusing your idea, but you are not noticing it.
It always has to be doctor, nurse, lawyer, engineer, or now the new favorite, computer science. Everyone wants their child in ICT. But have you sat down to listen to the small, quiet trouble, your child’s unspoken needs about what they want their future to look like?
Ask them: “What do you think you want to be?”
You may be shocked. Doctors, lawyers, and the rest you push for mostly just “eat respect.” Many of them live average or even poor lives, while the people commanding real wealth are often those we once looked down on.
Your child may want to be an artist, a dancer, or even just a teacher. I know children who cry out, “Mommy, I want to draw,” but the reply is, “No, you must be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or nurse so you can travel and make money.”
Parents, while you’re fulfilled and excited about a future you have designed for your child, you might be ignoring the fact that the child is quietly saying, “This is not my direction.”
This week, please don’t make that mistake. Go back and ask your children: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As funny as it sounds, it matters. Make sure you are not pushing your child into a destiny that only suits you but punishes them.
Don’t push them into your imaginary dreams, especially the ones you failed at. While you’re happy and excited, that child may be wondering, “Does my mother not care about what I want? Does my father not care that I have my own choice?”
Remember, life is eventually “per head.”
I’m Doctor Right Africa and as always, I love you. Let’s give our children the best future, the one that truly belongs to them. 💙