Empowering our kids

I was speaking with Ann, whose son graduates in a few weeks.  He is eighteen and has no real plans for his future.  He will probably go to college, the local community college.  He is supposed to get a job and pay for college.  But he does not have any money, and no real job.  On his last completed job application, his time to start work was late June, after he finishes graduation parties and activities.

The next conversation is about Ann’s parents.  Ann like to complain about how absent her dad was.  He was always working.  When he was around, he would step in to arrange things to his convenience and then leave again.  Mom was the one who raised the kids, but did not take them for college visits or anything.  They all had to get to the college and make their own arrangements.  Ann is one of 5 kids and they are all college graduates.

I am pondering the contrast.  It seems the desired results are stronger for the kids who had less parental involvement.   Empowerment is not always involvement.