You hold the key to motivating your teen!

That’s the answer. When the question is how do you get your teenager motivated to improve in school. You have to look in the mirror and determine your attitude toward school, toward your teenager and toward the future.

What children see their parents do in moderation will be manifest in excess in their lives. There are some specific steps that can be taken, but first you need to examine where you stand.

What is your attitude toward school? Has your teenager grown up with your bad attitude toward school and now you expect him/her to be motivated to succeed? Have you expressed your distaste for having to help all the way through grade school with homework? Your teen will pick up on your bad attitudes and will reflect them in their actions.

Maybe it’s time for you to have an honest talk about the importance of school and what it will ultimately accomplish for your teen’s future. Before you do that though, you might need a little help.

Do you understand that the purpose of geometry is more than determining the area of a cone? Do you see the value of each discipline for just that; the discipline that comes from mastering the subject? Do you understand that learning is a life long experience and that school is simply helping your teen to master the disciplines necessary to continue that quest for the rest of their lives?

If you’ve ever questioned why your child needed to know something it will be difficult for your teen to get motivated about school. You’ll have to be honest with them about your attitudes, past and present, so you can help them with their future. The is the first step so don’t take it lightly.

What’s my attitude toward my teenager? There is a fear of being a parent of a teenager. That fear can be driven by a lot of things but it is completely unfounded. I’ve seen this for more than thirty years now as I have watched the teenagers whose parents were once afraid now becoming fearful parents of teenagers themselves. The cycle has to stop!

A teenager isn’t a monster or bundle of uncontrollable hormones. Although they try pretty hard to prove that is exactly what they are sometimes. They’re not! They’re adults in training.

This will be the shortest period of time in their life. It may not seem like that to you. It certainly won’t seem like that to them. This is the only time you have to help them prepare for the rest of their lives. Don’t waste it by being afraid. Take control of the training period.

What’s my attitude toward my teenager’s future? Remember this is the training period. Your goal is to make them productive, honest and industrious adults. How optimistic are you about them and their future? That optimism or lack of it will greatly influence their motivation.

You’re their guide to the future. They are about to embark on the most challenging period they will ever face. Show them that everything in their life is connected. There school work, their part-time job experience and their friendships with other adults form the tapestry that will become their future.

The part-time job is a worthy goal but it must be looked at in the light of the overall objective of the training period. Once the motivation for school is established the next objective can be addressed – getting that part-time job.

The job can actually be a part of the overall training necessary to becoming a productive adult. You can use the job as a reward for getting on the right track concerning school. If you not careful though the job can interfere with good school habits.

As an adult there is plenty of time to learn to juggle multiple priorities. Remember this is a training period and you should focus on individual skills before you start putting them all together. Don’t allow the job to take away from the discipline of school.

The ultimate goal of every parent should be to lead their children to become responsible and productive citizens in any culture. To accomplish the goal each parent must take a careful look at themselves to make sure they are able to lead their teenager to the next level in his/her life.