Each of our life journeys is unique. No child will take the same journey as the parent, and no parent can determine what a child's journey will be. Although that's a truism, we all know parents who desperately want one or more of their children to "follow in their footsteps" or "continue the family tradition." We all know parents, too, who push their children into careers that they themselves didn't choose but wish they had, and who now try to find that lost fulfillment through the lives of the next generation.

We can have hopes for our children, and we all do. But the very best hope of all is that our children will find fulfillment in their lives in their own ways, in accord with their distinct individualities, learning to feel good about who they are so that they're able to feel good about people they meet. Finding that kind of fulfillment requires a child to have the courage to be who he or she is, and requires a parent to have the courage to help the child do so.

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