When I was a kid, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. In fact, by the age of 15, I’d written three books and had started on a fourth. Although I can’t say I was not encouraged – quite to the contrary, my mother bragged relentlessly about my writing abilities – I can honestly say that all the discouragement that resulted in me forsaking my dream by the time I was 16. Even when your friends and loved ones rave about your stories, the constant insistence that you can’t make it just as writer eats away at your determination.

Now, child writers are becoming more and more common. In 1999, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes published her first book, In the Forests of the Night, written at the age of 13. Christopher Paolini, the author of one of the hottest young adult fantasy trilogies, was only 15 when he started writing Eragon. Even more astounding is the 8-year-old writer, Adora Svitak, who has recently published Flying Fingers, a collection of her short stories combined with tips for parents and educators.

If I’d been a child at a time when child writers were such a popular concept, would things have been different? Instead of driving my sister all over the state for gymnastics practices and meets, would my mom have been calling agents and marketing my books? While I can’t really blame her or anyone else for my failure to follow my dream ten years ago, I can recognize the detrimental effects of the lack of real support I experienced.

With all of this in mind, I implore my readers to be careful with their children’s passions, lest you inadvertently crush them. This doesn’t mean you should push your child to be a super-achiever, but just that you should be careful of what you say or do. Children’s passions are so fragile, yet that doesn’t mean that they are not meant to be followed.