Its high time you figure out what you want from your child. To be successful? Or to be what you wants them to be? Because they cannot be all of it at the same time. And you have to give them that margin. We would never have had the Microsoft technology with us today if Bill Gate’s father would have pushed him into construction business. And sought success only in him being a good constructor. And neither would we be able to take pride in Abdus Satar Eidhi’s selfless work, if his parents pushed him to be a successful motor mechanic.

Behind every great man, it is not what he is expected to do. But what he aims to do and is motivated to do so. You son likes drawing? Let it be. Only definition of success is not a foreign qualified doctor or a top rank engineer. Can’t he be in the same line of Leonardo da Vinci? Can’t he be Picasso?  Or M.F Hussain? Can’t he follow his dreams and be successful at the same time? Your daughter wants to be a pilot? Allow her to be. She might become the best fighter pilot air force academy has ever seen.

As there is more than one way to be successful. There is more than one way to be prosperous and there is certainly more than one way to make you proud. All you need to do is. Accept your child for what he/she wants to be. You think he ll be better off if he becomes a doctor? Sure, you have best intentions at heart. But there is no predicting he’ll become a good one. No predicting he’ll be happy and certainly no predicting he ll be successful at it.

Success is, where your heart is. Get to know your child. And accept what your child wants to be. Motivate him all you can to be the best of best in what he aims. Tell him he can do it and help him prepare, to strive for excellence. And then, you know you have done your job right when you child comes home with joy on his face, peace on his mind and a stroke of brilliance in his eyes that will surely make you proud one day.