I have 6 children. Each child was informed that I will help pay for the first car; first, hopefully only, wedding; first degree and so forth. Notice I said "help". They are also required to pitch in.
For college or trade school, I tell my children one thing: I will help pay for the first school. If you decide you've made a mistake, then you get to pay for anything else. I also told them I'd rather they put off going to college until they're positive about what they want to do.
My in-laws made my youngest sister-in-law go to college. She had no idea what she wanted to do. She wasn't even sure she wanted to go. The in-laws didn't give her an option, so she earned a degree in philosophy. It was the only thing she could think of to do. She now works in a factory. This was a huge factor in my decision to wait until my children were sure about what they wanted.
Child #1graduated from a private Christian school. My eldest decided she wanted to be a massage therapist. She was looking for fast easy cash that would get her out on her own after leaving an abusive marriage (not going into THAT one yet). I told her our area is saturated with MTs. She thought she knew better, so I kept my mouth shut and helped pay for her schooling. I also watched my grandson for free which I didn't mind at all. :)
She never got a job as a M.T. It turns out she absolutely hated it while in school, but I give her credit for sticking with it until the end. Several years later, she is now paying her own way through college to earn her business degree in Human Resources.
Child #2 decided she HATED Algebra and went for her GED. My middle daughter worked at Wal-mart until she decided what she wanted to do. After moving to New Mexico with a friend, she decided she wanted to become a L.C.S.W. (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) with an emphasis on children in the foster care system. She also didn't want our help in paying for school. She wanted to do it on her own. Kudos to her. As far as I know, she is in her last year of school. Yes, "as far as I know". That's another story I'm not going into right now.
Child #3 is a graduate of our private school. My eldest son faced a lot of opposition from the Marine recruiting office here. He graduated from our school, and they had never dealt with homeschoolers before. They fully expected him to fail the ASVAB test. They kept trying to talk him into positions held by those who can't do a lot. He took his test. I prayed.
The recruiter came out with a shocked look on his face and said, "Son, you can do anything you want in the Marines." He had scored well over 80%. The average for public school kids, according to that office, is 50%. One of the recruiters decided to homeschool his kids because of this.
Child #4, also a girl, decided she wanted to get her GED. She wanted to get on with her life and didn't want to deal with one more year of school. Then she hung around the house for 3 years. She couldn't figure out what she wanted to do. After a lot of thinking, she decided to become an Esthetician (they leave the "A" off here for some reason). Again, another saturated field here. I gave her the same warnings I gave her eldest sister.
I paid for half of her school. She graduated and... couldn't find a job. Her ultimate goal is to become a make-up artist. Yet she did nothing to make it happen other than that school. She wanted to work on a cruise ship, and I gave her the websites she needed. Yet she didn't contact anyone. This was a big clue that she really wasn't interested in that field.
She is now applying at any place that is hiring including places she previously refused to work at like Wal-mart. She has also decided she wants to work with animals - something I recommended she do years ago. K-9 police is at the top of her list. I am still paying off her first school. She knows she has to pay for her second one on her own. To me, she is still in the "searching for herself" stage. I think she's going to need a lot of encouragement and patience while she finds her direction in life.
Child #5: Son #2 also graduated from our homeschool. He didn't score as high as his brother on the ASVAB, but he did above average and is now a "poolee". That's someone who is waiting for their turn to enter boot camp. He is scheduled to enter in June. That's an almost year long wait. The Marines are a bit booked up.
My only concern is he wanted to work with computer graphics. He is slotted for aircraft mechanic. He loves planes and weapons, so I guess it'll be okay. If not, he can always use the GI Bill to go to college.
Now we come to my youngest. He will also be graduating from our school. I find it odd all the boys did but none of the girls. He said he wanted to be a police officer, so all his schooling has been centered on entering the local community college's criminal justice program. Police academy entrance age is 21, so using that time to get a degree will help his chances on getting in.
Then he comes to me and says he's changed his mind. He now wants to be...
Wait for it...
Are you ready?
He wants to be...
*insert drumroll*
A stuntman.
I just stood blinking my eyes. I couldn't think of anything to say. A stuntman?!
"Are you kidding me?", I curiously asked him. I seriously thought he was joking.
"No, I'm serious. I want to be a stuntman."
Several things flooded my brain. Not one of them was nice and supporting. Thankfully, I managed to contain my thoughts and asked, "Have you researched this yet?"
"Sort of."
"Okay, why don't you research it and get back to me on what you need?"
"I know I need to belong to a guild. I also know I need to learn Judo or another form of martial arts."
So, now I am adding martial arts to his physical education. That's not a bad thing. I guess we'll see where this goes. I always tell the kids, "You never know until you try." For all I know he could become the world's greatest stuntman.
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