- Image by P i c t u r e Y o u t h via Flickr
Parenting teens can truly be a challenge. Many parents feel that all they ever do is nag, lecture, yell at, and ground their teens without getting any results. Naturally, parents want their kids to do well in school. However, their parents find it difficult to motivate them to cooperate. From working on the simplest household chores to finishing the day’s assignments, parents had their work cut out for them when it comes to motivating their children.
Family Matters Parenting Magazine mentioned two forms of motivation: fear and love. People are motivated to do things either because they love doing what they do or because they fear the consequences of not doing anything. For example, kids play video games because they enjoy it. You had to pry them off sometimes. However, even when you hate doing homework, you still do it because you will fail if you do not.
Motivating teenagers is pretty much the same. It is important for parents to understand that motivation is not something they can force on defiant teens. Motivating teenagers becomes impossible when teens feel they do not have the freedom or control over their own lives. They feel they should have choices.
Positive discipline will help strengthen bonds and improve relationships between teens and parents. It is possible to encourage a student to study more by letting him set his own time. Giving your teen more control will help motivate him further. However, this tactic will not work well on indifferent or apathetic teens.
If everything else fails, then all that is left is fear – the fear of losing valued privileges. If you take this route, be sure to implement punishment properly. Give the appropriate punishment and reward so you will not lose the effectiveness of either consequence.
