Michelle Hibbert LLC

Picking a major should not be dictated by parents.

They already had their chance to chose a degree, it should be left to their young adult.

Ryan announced to his parent he wanted to do pre-med at sixteen.

His dad's reaction was visible with pride. He gave an actual fist pump in air the moment the decision got made. Because that is what he wanted his kid to do.

It wasn’t a class his son loved, nor was it a subject he was curious about. But his son deep down wanted his dad to be proud of his choice.

Three years of college, two failed organic chemistry attempts, Ryan switched majors and felt he was letting his dad down twice, once for switching, and once for never loving pre-med in the first place.

This happens more often than parents realize, and it's rarely anyone's fault.

Teens are wired to notice what earns approval. A smile, an excited reaction, a proud comment shared with family or friends those moments carry far more weight than we intend them to.

Every parent loves seeing their child excited about something. Celebrating that excitement is completely natural.

They're simply celebrating what sounds like good news.

But to a teenager who's still figuring out who they are, that reaction can quietly become a wrong direction.

That's why these conversations matter so much.

When teenagers don't yet know themselves, it's natural for them to borrow certainty from the people they trust most.

Sometimes that leads them exactly where they belong. Other times, it leads them to spend years pursuing a path they never truly chose for themselves.

The difficult part is that many don't recognize it until they're already exhausted, unhappy, or questioning why success doesn't feel the way they expected it to.

I've seen parents carry enormous guilt when this happens too.

In my Raise Them Ready workshop, July 22nd, 7:30–8:30PM online we cover how to help your teen explore what genuinely interests them before a major gets chosen so the decision comes from curiosity, not from reading a room.

You'll learn practical ways to ask questions that uncover what's really driving their choices, while creating space for honest conversations without adding more pressure.

If you're thinking about your teen's next step, the link is in the comments. I'd love to see you there.