"What do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked my daughter Julianna.

"I want to be an animal doctow," she replied with a smile.

"Really, you want to be a veterinarian?" I asked, remembering that I, too, once wanted to be a vet.

"What's a vedowinian?" she asked.

"A vet-er-i-nar-i-an is a special doctor that makes sure animals are healthy," I explained.

"A vedowinawian takes care of animals?" she clarified.

"Yes," I said.

"Then I want to be a vedowinawian!" she exclaimed.

Yes, you should be a veterinarian, I thought. Or a musician or an athlete or a teacher or an architect or anything else that you feel called to be.

Even though my daughter is too young to know if a career as a veterinarian is what she really wants, she's not too young to be inspired to pursue the subjects that interest her.

To determine how I could support my daughter's interest in caring for animals, and my other children's interests, I consulted iParenting.com expert adviser Chris Crutcher, a licensed child and family therapist and critically acclaimed author.

Crutcher says if you notice that your child is good at something, such as art or a certain sport, or that they love a certain subject, such as animals, you can foster their interest by responding in positive ways to their endeavors in those areas, and by making available the materials, such as books or gear, they may need to explore the interests further. "I think the best rule of thumb is to follow the lead of the child," Crutcher says.

Crutcher cautions parents not to push children into things at too young of an age. "If the child gets to set the focus and intensity of the endeavor, they will benefit more," he says. "The current tendency in this country to get kids involved in sports, for example, at younger and younger ages carries more problems than benefits for most kids, because we as adults tend to push and suddenly we're looking at our dreams for the kid, rather than the kid's dreams."

If you're not careful, burnout can strike. In their new book, How to Play Tennis: Discover How to Play the Williams Sisters' Way (DK Publishing, 2004), child tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams caution parents about driving their children too hard. They note that their own parents kept them from competitive tennis when they were young, and this helped the sisters to focus on school. "If a child is burning out or getting tired, step back a little and focus on the fun," they say. "We've spent countless hours on the court, but we've also logged in school time, family time, spiritual time, friend time and, of course, fun time!" Crutcher notes that when the pressure is on, rebellion is common. "The same is true of music and art – any skills or hobbies," he says. "And it's good to get over the idea that a child can never start something and then quit – that's the best way for them to find out what they like." Perhaps the most important thing parents can do is to demonstrate that they are pursuing their own interests. "Kids are imitative," Crutcher says. "If you show interest in your own things as well as make time to join them in theirs, it's hard to miss."

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