A child should be allowed to change their mind about what they want to become.

Early interests get repeated back to children until they harden into an identity: the one who loves animals, the one who is good at numbers. Affection is behind this, but it makes changing course feel like letting people down, and a child may hold a stated ambition long past wanting it just to avoid the disappointment.

Hold their plans lightly out loud. Ask what they are interested in now rather than how the old dream is going. Make it clearly ordinary to want something different this year than last year.