Goal theories.

One of the most predominant reasons why parents constantly badger their kids to stay in school and follow a solid plan is because they never had a dream or craft of their own to pursue. Or perhaps they did, but never possessed the will, perseverance or determination to follow throw, without fear of failure. That's itself is another problem; fear of failure. If you constantly have the thought of doubt overwhelming your desire to pursue something...then you've got limited yourself to three options: find another path, figure out a way to bypass the fear and focus on the goal, or just stick it out with the doubt still saturating your mind. The middle option is usually the best although it requires a higher mental capacity and tolerance for frustration and set-backs. They might discourage you temporarily, but ultimately provide you with more of a push after the negativity ceases. Essentially, it comes down to the person and how badly one desires a certain outcome.

Although some of that may have been off on a tangent, it still supports the initial argument.

In regard to deciding a path for yourself, whether it be in free lace arts or a solid 8 years of an institutionalized education, it is YOUR decision, not another's. Sometimes, parents think they know what's better for their children because they're supposedly older, wiser and more "experienced", although that's a relative term. Most of the time, this isn't true.
Yes, adolescents haven't developed their decision-making skills as well as a fully grown adult...although "adult" is also another relative term. Physiological, psychological and physical elements come into play to truly define that term. Nonetheless, the decision should be left up to the child unless their chosen path is extremely harmful physically or mentally, in which case the parents' input should be incorporated. In fact, parents' input should be added most of the time, but that's where it ceases. If their "advice" becomes more of an ultimatum or lacking options, then it loses the definition of input. Then, the parent falls into an totalitarian category which is the worst of the three types.(Totalitarian, authoritarian & permissive).

One of most common ways to get through a long term is meeting smaller goals along the way.