Are parents allowed to decide our career paths and/or choices?
Do they really know best?
Choosing your path should always be a personal issue, this is what you have passion for but some parents prefer to choose the path for their children, I think this decision should be made by the children and not parents, all we need as a child is support and guidance from our parents.
I was a victim of this and this really affected what I had a passion for, all I wished to become was an accountant but my father wanted me to be a doctor, he sent me to a science school which was against my wish, I had a passion for accounting and always study hard to be the best not knowing that my father would change my path.
As a child I had no choice but to follow his command, I thought he knew better than I did, I couldn't copy in the science department for a term, chemistry, and physics looked like a battle, and I had to solve equations as if my life depends on it but yet I always ended up scoring low marks because it is not something I have passion for, let's assume I study what I want I know I would have been better.
After a term in secondary school, I had to sit up and accept my fate but still, I wasn't friend with physics and chemistry, I tried my best in mathematics and biology and we all know that chemistry and physics are the core subjects in science, I tried my best and graduated from secondary school and wanted to study computer science then another struggle continues.
I told my father about my passion for computer science and he rejected it, at this level, I am becoming an adult and think I can decide for myself, but my father refused and said I must go into the medical line, I am someone who gets irritated with little things then how can I go into a medical line, I fought with my father and he said unless I am ready to train myself through school.
I calmed down and begged him just to allow me to follow my mind and let me decide for myself but he rejected my idea, I was so downcast because I was too young to be on the street and fed for myself when I had a capable father, I wrote the first entry exam and passed but when my father saw the result that I chose computer science instead of Medicine he laughed and made a statement that "You are not ready" What is African parents with medicine, is studying medicine a ticket to heaven?
I wrote another entry examination the next year and chose to study medicine but I failed the exams I was so happy hoping my father would allow me to cross to computer science since I didn't pass the entry exam but NO, my father said I would re-write the exam the following year, I left everything to God and allow my father to decide, left to my mother she didn't have any problem with me studying what I want but my father insisted that I must be a doctor because I am the last child and none of my siblings study anything related to medical.
The following year I was about to register for jamb when my father got sick and died, it was a terrible experience but that is not the story for today, Now I had the chance to study my desired course after his demise and register for jamb and passed, then I gained admission to the university of my choice, I'm not happy about my father demise but how I wish he is alive to allow me to decide for myself instead of making me feel I'm the problem.
As a child, all we need is support, encouragement, and love, our parents should learn how to support us and not to impose our choice of career, this attitude always makes most children go astray and lose interest in anything they tend to do.
This is my response to day 21 of the #octoberinleo of the inleo daily prompt. If you wish to join this contest then you can click on this Link
