Parents Hope Their kids can fulfill their dreams, Study says

Some parents would like their child to accomplish their personal aspirations, according to the study posted in the journal PLOS ONE. Researcher Eddie Brummelman, a doctoral psychology student at Utrecht University, said the accomplishments of a child may also represent the parents’ unfulfilled dreams. “In this way, a sense of oneness with their children may compel parents to transfer their unfulfilled ambitions on to them," he said. Richa Yadav/flickr Brummelman warned the study doesn’t prove that parents live out their wishes, which means they want their children to accomplish their unsuccessful goals without really forcing their kids to follow suit. Similarly, the research has no way of proving if driving children to realize their parents’ dreams can be damaging or not. He said some people think that forcing children to do something out of parental wish may affect the child’s independence and may stress them to do extremely well. "The next step in our research is examining how the desire of parents for their children to fulfill their unfulfilled ambitions affects these children," Brummelman said. "For example, does it undermine children’s autonomy in choosing their own ambitions? Or does it help children find direction in life?"