<p>I have one child and he will start college as an international student in the US this fall. After reading the posts on this thread I feel relieved that he will be in good company. My goals for him are that he makes the effort to think before taking decisions, that he remembers that the choices that he makes in college will shape the rest of his life, and that it is not possible to be right at all times. I want him to know that whenever he is in doubt, he will always be better off choosing to be a good human being. I want him to have the confidence that although his parents will be far away from him in distance, they will be near enough to be his shock absorbers any time he needs them.</p>
<p>Goals I would say out loud: to be self-supporting in a vocation they love. to be a good companion to those they love. to find someone who loves them unconditionally and permanently. to make a difference in a world that needs help. to accept themselves and not compare themselves. to walk humbly with their God without insisting others do so. </p>
<p>Goals I would not say out loud: to not die of a chronic illness before you get to live a full life. to find a girl who won’t treat you like an accessory. to be helpful to your father. to call me once in a while. to learn to drive slower, and go to church regularly. to not eat fast food twice a week. to take your meds and get out of bed before 10am. and good grief, learn to cook something with more than 3 ingredients :)</p>
<p>Medical school for us is a catch-all category to include anything from biology to chemistry etc. In essence, a way to direct DD2’s strong academic abilities and skills into something useful (or ‘useful’).</p>
<p>D’s goal is very specific: a contract with an “A” level Opera house. She already has her MM, is already performing professionally, making money soley through music and living independantly in her own apartment… But she still has her eyes on the prize.</p>
<p>But MY goals for her? Since she already attained several specific goals that I could assist her with,my hopes for her are a little more nebulous: Artistic satisfaction and happiness with a significant other. But these are my best wishes for her, since her goals are now her responsibility alone.</p>
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Is there any “easier” specialty in this profession? DS started to have more opportunity to shadow doctors in a teaching hospital. This is what he has found out: When the doctor you are shadowing could take time to talk to you, the specialty he is in is likely not that bad. Using this criterion, OB is “bad”, but being a neurologist is not as “bad.” DS has zero interest in earning lots of money (his idea of having adequate income for repaying his loan is 90k-100k annually as a doctor) but leads a life that is too busy. He has a vested interest in finding a “easier” sub-field. (e.g., being hired by a government health organization like CDC?) </p>
<p>He recently corrected my misconception: To be in this profession, you really do not have any time for anything else. You do not have free time for other things at all. (I used to tell him that he could probably keep his hobby-related activities on the side, as in college years. He found out this is not the case.)</p>
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I’d be grateful if my oldest did even that! He lives on Life Cereal and lemonade. (At least that’s all that is in his kitchen.) My youngest got all the cooking genes.</p>
<p>I’d like my kids to find jobs they like and do their bit to leave the world better than they found it. My oldest has the first nailed, not sure that he doesn’t much on the second. My youngest I think will probably do both if he can. At least he’s found a field of study for college that seems to fit his interests and (mostly) his strengths.</p>
<p>We tell our kids that their goal in life is to discover the gifts that God gave them and then use those gifts for the glory of God. If they can do that, then everything else will follow.</p>
<p>Re: specialities in medicine- I know a few Drs who are rock climbers, one friend of the family was ( now retired from medicine, not from mountaineering), an anesthesiologist-at the UW ( was part of the American Everest expedition in 1963)- but don’t know if that level of commitment is possible anymore- probably too much paperwork.</p>
<p>Quality of life in medicine depends on many factors. One I know who has an excellent quality of life works for a large HMO in our state (which will provide him with a pension & other excellent benefits), specializing in ophthamology (which is very tough to get into). His W works part-time in dermatology & also has a great quality of life (also very tough to get into).</p>
<p>Know a young person who is in podiatry school & hopes to be able to return to HI to practice.</p>
<p>Sorry to have gotten off track–we were talking about goals for our kids.</p>
<p>Remember the old joke… “A specialist is a doctor that has trained his/her patients to only show up between 9am and 4pm”… :)</p>
<p>For my children to be comfortable in their own skin and not spend their life wishing they were who they were not.</p>