Just as you shouldn’t overtly pressure your kids into a certain lane (You need to become a doctor/lawyer/academic), the great Robert Greene reminds us that you must be careful of the less overt forms of pressure—steering them to be interested in the things you are interested in, forcing them to participate in this activity or play that sport, calling the arts or entrepreneurship as “risky” or artists and entrepreneurs as “crazy.” As Robert said,

As a parent, you need to let go. You need to let your child blossom. You need to think of your child like they’re a plant that you want to foster and grow in its most natural form and not hinder in any way. You have to let your child go in whatever direction he or she wants. When the child reveals a proclivity towards something, encourage them to go in that direction. Because that proclivity reveals something extremely powerful from within—it reveals what I call a primal inclination. Do not get in the way of their primal inclinations in any way, shape, or form. That’s the most important thing you can do.

As we’ve said before, your job is to encourage them to be who they are, not what you want them to be. Your job is to help them find their favorite movies–not convert them to yours. To find their favorite bands–not force them to listen to yours. Pay attention to their natural, primal inclinations…then get out of the way.