The best way to predict your future is to create it.
- Unknown

A good way to help your child plan his life is to ask him to decide where he is going to be in six months, in one year, two years, five years, ten years, and twenty years. Then help the child set the goals so that they can accomplish their own plans. In most cases children don't know where they're going to be tomorrow and they really have no plans for the future. The more mature the child is, the more likely he will have plans for the future and he will know what he wants to accomplish in his life.

However, since many children don't have this direction by themselves, they don't really know what they're going to be doing or where they're going, it is important for a caring parent to be able to assist the child in developing these goals. Perhaps based on the child's class performance, hobbies, direction, loves, anticipations, desires, stated issues or test scores, the parent can ask appropriate questions to see if the child is interested in certain obvious things.

Not every child will respond well to these questions and some children need more coaching than others. The parent who has been working with the child on the future for some time will be able to deal with this more easily than one who sits down with the child without any preliminary work.

The parent may also prompt the child into certain limited areas. Do you want to work or do you want to study? If you want to study, would you like to study sciences, literature, or computers? And so on. In other words, go from a larger question, from a general question to a more and more specific one until you can home in on the child's direction in life. If the child says he wants to study, then find out if the child wants to study or will want to continue studying in another six months, in another year, in another five years. This will determine how much of an advanced degree the child wants at this stage. It is important to assure the child that it is good to assure children that their studies can be completed at a later stage in life if they are not ready to do so at this time. Much damage has been done to young children by having them study things before they are ready. There is less damage to be done as the children grow older but it is certainly not wise to force the child or for the child to force himself to study things when he's just not ready. It would be better to do what the child loves and then to make decisions about study later.