Dear Friends,

Today is going to be more of a personal article. This is not intended to insult anyone and if it does I do apologize.

This is to the parents who make their kids do certain activities throughout their childhood and teen years. So let's get right into this.

I believe that kids should be able to choose what they want to do with their life. Now I am not saying let your kids decide to become drug dealers because that obviously isn't okay. I mean that if a kid wants to be in theatre, let the kid be in theatre. If the kid wants to be on a baseball team, let the kid play baseball. There is no reason for a parent to overrule their own child's interests in a certain activity. Yes I understand if your family has been playing football for generations or taking ballet for years, but if your child wants to change your family's path then let them! You had your time as a child to make your choices and decide what you wanted to do, and now it is our turn.

I played baseball for a couple years when I was younger and then I quit because it just wasn't for me at that age. I tried a year of flag football, a year of basketball, and a few of soccer, and I ended up stopping all of those. Now I love sports don't get me wrong, but I prefer to play them for fun or watch on tv with friends. This led me into auditioning for musicals and choirs later on in my teen years, and my parents supported me. As long as I wasn't doing drugs or hanging out on the streets, they were happy with me. I did my best and I kept myself busy and that's what mattered.

Now I'm doing so many different things in college because I can. I'm part of a sports tv station on campus, an acapella group, and I'm still trying to make time for theatre because I miss it. My parents still support me regardless of what I do. They come to my concerts and they watch the TV show every other week when it is on air.

Now I'm not perfect. My parents aren't perfect. My family isn't perfect. I've made mistakes and so have they. What matters though is that we are there for one another and care for each other. It doesn't matter what we do as individuals. Taking care of each other and supporting each other as family is what matters. Don't force an activity or school or whatever upon your kid. Let them decide their future and give them some guidance and support.

Love your kids and let them live their life. There is nothing wrong with being worried about them or trying to give them some guidance, but just know you can't control their life forever.

Thank you for reading this short article. I hope you all enjoy your week and I'll see you next time with a new article. Peace.

Your Friend,

Al