As the single-father of a teenage girl, I am often thinking about education, grades, classroom performance and after-school, weekend and summer activities. Like many parents, I think about these things with the conscious thought about what will help make her a good candidate for a college or university.

However, the truth is – college acceptance is not what I or any of us are really preparing our kids for. We are preparing them for adult life.

In reading a post from Laura Rader (Preparing for College or Living a Life?), I realized that rush parents get into when their kids enter high school and the emphasis from society on college admissions is misplaced. The real question we should ask ourselves everyday is, “What are the best ways I can enrich the future adult lives of my child(ren)?”

There are many ways we can mentor our children and give them chances to practice living full and rich lives. College is one way young people learn, experience new things, meet new people, and expand their world-view. However, there are other ways young people can expand their horizons and tap into their dreams.

Our job as parents is to ask what interests our kids, and help facilitate their exposure to worlds and activities that interest them.