What can I do to help my son see the light?

Question

He just doesnt take school seriously and hes in 8th grade,,.I have tried to get him to understand this is the rest of his life here...and he just wont get it........please help!!!!!hes flunking and not doing anything about it.........thanks,,

Answer 1

Try starting a calm conversation about what he wants to be in future then lead on by saying what qualification is needed and how important how a good base can help in building the foundation for his future.

If he is really flunking, start imposing certain rules that kicked in only when it falls below a certain grade but reward him when he do well (just try not to do it too often)

Answer 2

Take him on a tour of the really poor, downtrodden part of town. Let him see people living in the streets, living out of shopping carts. Show him some of the horrible jobs people have to do if they don't have any skills--like cleaning porta potties for example, or cleaning public toilets. Let him get a tour of a jail. Tell him that this is what awaits those who cannot get good jobs. Then take him on a tour of a nice part of town. Maybe have it arranged so he can visit a busy office where everybody's working and well dressed and they all have nice cars in the parking lot. Tell him its his choice. Tell him life is real and he has to make his own way in it. He can have a job he likes, he can be making good money, he can have a nice home and family, or he can live out of a shopping cart and eat out of trash cans. Its his choice.

And tell him there are plenty of interesting jobs, too--reporter, writer, priest, minister, admiral, scientist, astronomer, medical researcher, doctor, professor, artist, musician--he can do anything he wants to if he tries. Beyond that, how about getting him to go for some sport, it could be anything from a team sport like football or basketball to an individual sport like skateboarding or even bmx. Or a hobby like guitar or art or film. Something, anything, to catch his imagination and give him passion about life, about living, about striving.

Answer 3

well my question to you is first, are both parent's involved? then he is at a very confused stage in life, this i know i have a 14 year old son and is doing the same thing, but i got the upper hand real fast, first thing i advise to you is make him aware that his class mate's will be moving on next year with out him and he will face made fun of, then if you get the ole famous answer i dont care, you must choose one big thing's he enjoy's most of all and take it away till improvement, this really helped me, my weapon was the pc and skate borarding;
try these thing's you must be the head of the house not the child take control back from him ok

Answer 4

take everything from him and say until you start taking it all seriously and getting your grades up you arent getting anything back

when i say everything i mean tv, computers, bikes, skateboards, games consoles, everything. as he gets his grades up, if he does, give them back gradually.

if you take them off him and he carrys on then dont let him go out with friends at weekends or any time.

also, try studying WITH hime. this way he will get support from you, you know what he is doing, his strong and weak points, where he needs to focus on and you know he is actually studying, not gooing around just saying he is studying

Answer 5

Have you gotten his father and his teachers involved yet? Does he understand that if he fails, he will not be with his friends - unless they are all failing too. If they are too - you may want to keep him away from those friends. I have to sit right next to my son while he does his homework. It gets tiring but he gets it done and he knows that I am not happy about it at all.