Teach a child to choose the right path or Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6.

Upon further study on this I see the verse doesn't say train a child to choose the path that I, the parent chooses for him. God has imprinted each of us with passions, aptitudes and skills. His word encourages those of us who are parents to train our children to recognize and pursue them. While we all want what's best for our kids, we sometimes force on them our ideas of what they should be. When we do that, we foreclose God's intentions for their lives.

I heard a story of a young gal- 12 or 13 years old - who was one of six or seven kids in a very conservative Christian family, homeschooled, and on a pretty short leash. One day she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. Without hesitation she said she wanted to be a wife and mother - "just like my mom." It was a response she had clearly given many times before. After several minutes of silence she blurted out, "Actually, I want to be an FBI agent."

My take is that maybe it means that children should be encouraged to pursue their paths in life based on the way that God wired them. Seems pretty simple, right? Maybe not. We've all heard stories of frustrated adults who become doctors or lawyers or work in the family business because it was always expected of them. They were forced to fit a picture their parents had drawn for their future.