The very preparation of the plan is itself of value.

• It helps the child think about what he wants to accomplish
• It helps him set goals
• It helps him decide who he wants to marry
• It helps him set his priorities in life

From the time that a child is young, he is told what to do. He may rebel, but he's not always sure why he is doing it.

His school is the focal point of his life. Yet, he moves from one class to another, and he rarely knows why he is studying these subjects. He finishes one grade and then advances to the next one, in a rote manner, without thinking about what he is doing. He is told to memorize things, to study things, to learn things, to research things, to find out about things, to listen to the teacher and then to return the information. However, there is little thought involved in his efforts.

He completes high school, and then faces a decision about whether to go to the army, to college, or to some other activity. He doesn't give this much thought either. He may follow his friends or the general drift of his school.

He rarely expends any effort in thinking.

Now, as an adult, he may continue to drift along without thinking. However, as a parent, you want him to start thinking for himself. You don't want your child to continue drifting along. Now is the time to think, to decide, to evaluate, and to do some introspection. He should now come to conclusions about his direction in life.

Your child will not want to do this. It is something new. He has been trained to float along, based on inertia. He may spends his time with various forms of passive entertainment or in active sports. However, unless he is planning to become involved in sports as an occupation, this will not help him plan his life.

He may have developed some speaking or leadership skills in school or in a youth movement. These skills may be of value when he determines where his life will go. He may have had summer or after-school jobs. He may have sold, made, prepared, or worked on or with certain things. They may have given him ideas about what his future.

In each of these cases, you as a parent can ask him what he knows. You can elicit the things that move him towards or away from the direction that he wants so he will begin to realize where he is moving.

It would indeed be a shame for a friend to draw him into a profession or an occupation for which he has no desire or interest.

This procedure may take a number of sessions. That is fine. Don't push more than both of you can accomplish. You may discover that you and your child are tired after the sessions. Don't be surprised. You are doing serious work. Your striving to achieve a conclusion and a goal may be more tiring than your day job. It is so tiring that some parents take a nap before working with their child in this area.