Uncertain Steps

The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center sits on the banks of the Missouri River in Sioux City, Iowa.  I must have driven past it 50 to 100 times in the last 6 months…but I’ve never stopped.  Today I decided to actually go inside.

I’m not exactly a history buff which is probably why I haven’t exactly made it a priority in the past.  I often don’t take the time to appreciate cultural exhibits of any kind and seldom actually stop and read the displays in any kind of museum, etc.

…but today was different.

Today something struck me about the magnitude of the Lewis and Clark expedition, that they embarked upon at the request of President Thomas Jefferson.  Of course, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark become famous as of a result of their efforts.  But they didn’t do it alone.  What about the rest?

The Corps of Discovery was the team of men that accompanied them on their mission to explore the West.  What did they get?  Yes, they got paid when they got back.  Yes, they were even promised a land grant when they returned home (IF they returned home.)   But given the length of the time this journey would take, the total uncertainty about what they might encounter (they were still thinking mammoths may have existed,) and the extreme conditions they knew they would endure, I think its unlikely that ANY of them did this for what they might gain in return.  They applied for this Corps to do something that mattered.  Something that was meaningful.  Something that would make a difference.

As our teens begin to think about their future and possible career directions, it seems that finding something that matters rarely makes the “Top 10″ list of most important criteria in their choice.

Why would we expect it to?

They watch their parents come home night after night and complain about work, how they can’t wait for the weekend, and rarely communicate WHY  they find meaning in what they do everyday.

They sit day after day and listen to their teachers, who seldom are able to work into their curriculum (in the midst of preparing for all the standardized testing) WHY they are passionate about the subject matter they are teaching or why it even matters.

How could we expect them to think any differently?

It is our responsibility as parents to openly communicate the importance of finding work that is meaningful.  Not just work that pays well, or that they think is “fun.” Something that MATTERS.

How do you do that with your teen?