We only know one path

Last night I had dinner with 4 high school friends I've known for more than 20 years. There were a lot of life topics on the table. Coincidentally, all our fathers have had cancer. So we talked about insurance, kids, schooling choices, and more.

That school path conversation was a realization for me.

I went to boarding school. My wife did too. So naturally, we both believe that if finance is not a constraint, sending a teenager overseas is one of the best things you can do for them. The independence, the autonomy, and the development! We lived it, we loved it, we want that for our daughters.

Of course, finance is indeed a constraint in reality. Anyway.

One friend took a completely different road. He stayed in Hong Kong, ground through the public exams, then went to the U.S. for university. He believed that if you can survive the Hong Kong exam system, you have grit for life. He sees that in the people around him. When he looks at people who went to boarding school, they are more "chill".

Another friend went to high school in Hong Kong, went through a community college in the U.S. (quite an easy time), and eventually got into a solid university. He looks back on that path just as fondly.

The 4th friend stayed in Hong Kong for university. He loved the experience and thought he got the most out despite the fact that he didn't go overseas.

Four paths. And we all believe our own path was a solid one.

And I think that's exactly the point. We each only truly know the path we walked. We can read about the others, we can hear about them, but we don't really know them from the inside. So when it comes to grooming our kids, we all have blind spots.

It means these conversations matter. It helps that we're all open-minded and genuinely want to learn about the alternatives.