My son just started high school. Inevitably when someone finds this out I get the question, “What is he going to do when he graduates?” Is anyone else as perplexed with this question as I am? My son is 14 years old. He still has 4 years before he graduates. And honestly, he can do whatever he wants; it’s his life.

I am not sure if I get this question because I homeschool, but I think most people get this question asked to them regardless. Of course, as a homeschool mom your ego wants to say, “He decided at 13 that he was going to be a rocket scientist. He has already started his physics and advanced math classes. He is also going to be working for NASA next semester.” But the real answer is, “No, he does not know what he wants to do.” Even if that is the answer, we still want to justify it. “Well, he likes to tinker with things so I am sure he is going to be an engineer. He also likes to debate so he could really be either an engineer or a lawyer.”

Most kids have no idea what they want to do after high school. They decide to go on to college because it is expected. They are then forced to pick a major when they are unsure exactly what they are interested in doing. Let’s look at some statistics.  – 56% of kids that go to college actually graduate.  – 47% of kids that graduate from college do not work in the same area as their major.  – Majority of people change careers in their lifetime. So, if half of the people don’t work in the areas they majored in and majority of those people change careers, then it is more than OK for my son not to know what he wants to do with his life at the age of 14. Truthfully, the kids are not even the ones that have a problem not knowing, it is the adults and the parents. Which, if you think about it, is interesting because it is not even their life.

Now, there are those few out there that figured out early what they wanted to do, loved it, and did it for the rest of their life. That is fantastic. I was not one of them. So, I have decided to challenge myself. When it comes to my kids, I am going to be completely OK with who they are and where they are and not feel the need to make any excuses. They don’t need excuses. They are perfect the way they are. Anyone else up for this challenge?