Keeping Your 13 Y/o Focused in Education

It must be the age I have a 14y/o and she is so involved in the social that her grades are suffering as well....finally with last semisters grades we sat down with her and discussed the consequences if she continued..each rule that she broke required an essay to be written on why that rule is important..

well progress reports came out 2 weeks ago and needless to say she has lost all contact with the outside world once she comes home from school. No Phone, No Computer..and a 600 word essay to boot...I can honestly say that she is doing her work, her and her sister are getting along better, her grades are coming back up ..I can check online..awesome tool..I hope my solution helps you...

Oh boy can I relate to you!!! We moved from NJ to PA 8 months ago and my daughter is still miserable. She used to be involved in basketball and softball but in h.s. you have to tryout and she would never make the team so she gave up on sports all together. I suggested joining a club/team but she refused. All the friends she has made in school get high and drunk on the weekends so she has yet to hang out with anyone outside of school. She comes home from school, does her homework and then just watches tv. On the weekend, she relies on me for "entertainment" (mall, run errands, grocery shopping, etc). In the beginning of the school year, she was failing most of her classes but has since brought them up just over passing. I hope to get her enrolled in a first aid/CPR class so she can at least start baby sitting around our neighborhood just to get out of the house. I am at my wits end and do not know what to do so whatever advice you receive, PLEASE pass it along...I am desperate at this point!

Hi! I was looking thru categories and found your post and I can relate. At the halfway point I had just about had it with my 13 yo son, and pretty much told him it was UP TO HIM whether or not he passed the eigth grade. Things improved somewhat then back down again. His biggest problem is homework & classwork. So he now has same day detenetion for missing assignments and he looses all privilages for 24 hours. Earlier in the year I took EVERYTHING away and it didnt faze him. After the last meeting with the teachers we decided that short term punishment/rewards would work best. Since he has had detention once and was not happy when he couldnt wear shorts to school the next day (hey thats what got his attention). It seems to be working better. Good luck!

My 13 y/o has a very busy schedule,but she knows as soon as she gets home from school it's time to have a snack & complete school work.She isn't allowed to talk on the phone,watch TV,or anything else until she's done.It's so routine that I rarely have to step in.I also reward her for good grades & make sure she knows it.She is always on high or highest honours.She's very busy with dancing,cheerleading,volunteer work,and so forth,but she knows school is #1 priority.

A little about me really quick, I have a 15 y/o daughter, 9 y/o son & 19 m/o son and my husband is in the military and travels a lot. So yes, I can relate to the house being chaotic at times. My daughter just entered h.s. this year and is doing great. We just moved to our new location over the summer of '05 so when she entered 8th grade it was a lot different here than any other school that she's been to. She's always been an 'A' student but she began to get a negative attitude towards school. We came to realize that she just wasn't being challenged enough (she had already done most of the things that they were learning). Nevertheless, long story short, I got her involved in other activities that revolved around positive things. Maybe you could sit down with your daughter and see what her interests are. My daughter has said that she wants to study law since she was about 4 and continues on with it. Therefore, she has researched information on her own to see what she will need to earn the title of Esquire behind her name. She is also part of an organization for girls through one of our local college's sorority so that allows her to meet new people and young ladies that have some of the same interests. She does volunteer work at our local youth center as well as with her sorority sisters-in-training. She's involved in activities at church; she plays basketball year round.... my list could go on for hours, but I mention these things to kinda give you ideas of what she could be doing and maybe a sense of direction for you to check into some of the things she likes. I think it is very important for our young ladies to be guided in the right direction. Sometimes being with the wrong people could deter them.

Hope this helps! If you need some other suggestions or maybe even some help finding things in your area please feel free to email me ____@____.com luck!

P.S. Trust and believe that she won't be a 'statistic' and continue to be her #1 fan and EXAMPLE of what a successful person is. My daughter has me as her #1 hero on her friends list!!