First generation children in America are expected to become the best of the best academically and nothing less. Either doctor, engineer, or lawyer. Those are the top three job descriptions expected from 90% of foreign parents.

This then starts the never ending cycle of simply trying to get by and doing whatever to make your parents happy. Of course there are the kids who thoroughly enjoy the path they’ve chosen, but at the end of the day it came down to the extreme influence their parents had that you can only be successful doing specific things. Safe to say it can go both ways, but judging from my personal encounters a lot of children including myself are living our lives on behalf of our parents.

Leading to my main point of dreaming about the life you want and not the one your parents want for you. A lot of first generation children weren’t given the chance to be creative or try something new because their entire lives revolved around going to school, getting a job, and ultimately pleasing their parents. Myself for example, yes I’m in school, yes I’m going to graduate, but at the end of the day this isn’t the life I see for myself. I am here for my parents, but plan for my dreams and goals in life to take me further than a desk job that I’ll most likely be miserable at. The biggest issue with this is that you cannot ever get a foreign parent to understand dreams and goals past education because they think that’s all that matters. The thought process that they have is “if you have a good paying job and a degree what more could you want.” Which is the complete opposite thinking of their children that were brought up here. A lot of kids will live for their parents and never live for themselves. Then on the opposite end there are those kids who are willing to test the waters and live their lives the way they’d like. So, are you willing to dream?