But Who's Counting?

Is there any endeavor so confusing, so mysterious, so diverse as the role of a parent? I am a parent. I have been a parent for 7,665 days. He is 21 years old today. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was skipping pages in our nightly book readings thinking he'd never notice? Wasn't it just last week that I was yelling my lungs out for him at his Little League games? Surely it was just a couple of months ago that we were discussing what it means to figure out your passion in life and then turning that passion into a way of life; a living. Yes, it was just a couple of months ago. Discover your passion, I told my son, and the way you make money in the world will never be a "job." If I could choose for my son to really "get" any of my little parental lectures, it would be that. Explore yourself; listen to your gut; take time to discovery yourself and what brings joy into your life and then.....go for it! In recent months my son, after 3 years of college, assured me that he has found his passion. This requires, of course, a complete change in his course of study and a move to another State. I wasn't thrilled. It wasn't my plan for him. As I heard myself saying, "Are you sure?", I could actually feel my own words nipping at my soul and telling me to "put up or shut up." Either stand by your words or tell your son you're a parental fraud; a mere imposter of a mother. My decision only required a few seconds of discussion between me, myself and I. I chose to believe in my son. I told myself that I can't admonish my son to find his joy in life and then not offer encouragement simply because he's not following my preconceived plan for him. If it works out for him, great! If it doesn't, then it won't be because he didn't get solid and honest parental support. The truth, I realize, is this: My son could tell me that he's decided to be a Ringling Bros. circus clown and I would immediately start researching where he could get a top-notch red nose!
My son has his own brain. He's a 21 year old man. If he's going to make risky decisions in his life, now is the time to do it. :) Who am I, as his parent, to tell him to seek his passion and then chastise him because it isn't my passion for him? Right? Right.
So this is the philosophy I'm banking on.