After the two-week spring break, my two were nearly impossible to get out of bed. I am not just talking about the first day, I mean the first MONTH. Even I admit a certain lack of motivation and passion for packing lunches. The end-of-year slump has hit. Still two months to go but my kids are emotionally out of gas. What to do?
As usual, I went suggestion gathering on parenting sites and social media. Here are some top tips:
- Lead by example. Keep up the brave face be strong. Do not let your kids see any signs of weakness. “They can smell weakness and will take advantage of you if you let it show,” says Sherry.
- Appreciate. Get excited (even ecstatic) about good efforts and good grades. Make them feel it is worth the effort.
- Empoweringparents.com says: One of life’s lessons is that we get the goodies after we do the work. When you practice shooting hoops every day, you start making more baskets. You get paid after you work at your job. So start saying things like, “When you finish studying you are welcome to go to Gavin’s house.” Or “When your homework is completed, we can discuss watching that movie you wanted to see on Netflix.” Enforce this rule and stick to it. If your child does not yet have the ability to plan and initiate and persevere, by sticking to this rule, you are helping them learn how to do what their own brain is not yet equipped to do, which is to create the structure for him.
- Ask a teacher. They have degrees in this stuff, they must have some ideas for you!
- Cut them a break and keep the communication lines open. “I tell my son I have been in his shoes and I know what a challenge it is to keep going at the end of the year,” empathizes Catherine. “I encourage him to tell me when he’s super unmotivated and we take a break together to play a game or work on our summer vacation plans. After half an hour or so, he has the energy to go back to the books, and we have had a positive bonding experience.”
- Bribe them. Yes, we all know as a general rule, bribery is bad parenting, but let’s face it: It has its place and time. When we are at wit’s end and just need to get through it, dangle a carrot in front of their faces.
Remember though, last term grades count every bit as much as first term’s. Ultimately they must dig deep and study hard. If you see the grades slip, do not hesitate to enforce the long arm of the law and stand over them to supervise homework or take away electronics until you see improvement. Learning to get through life’s unmotivated times is a lesson in itself!
