Tips on How to Encourage Teenage Sons to Study Seriously

Would you consider hiring a coach for your son? There are coaches who work specifically with teens and help them understand the "what's in it for me" aspect of useful endeavors. They also help teens to create strategies that help them achieve their goals. Most importantly the coach will hold your teen to be accountable. Some teens have an easier time being accountabled to people other than their own parents.

Just a thought... and if you are interested, you can search for a coach at the International Coach Federation or in your local area.

If coaching is not an option, than consider how you can help him create his own motivation. He is more likely to succeed if he is doing something with his own buy in.

good luck

I think by the time they get to college, it's up to them. If he knows his scholarship is riding on his grades and he still fails to get them, that's a life consequence he has to deal with. All you can do is remind him of that and the rest really should be up to him. The only incentive he should need is not losing that scholarship. If he feels that in this competitive world it's ok to coast through on so-so grades JUST to maintain his scholarship, maybe he doesn't deserve it. He's obviously smart, just remind him that there are thousands of extremely smart out-of-work people out there. And hundreds of extremely smart students who would line up for his scholarship and work their a$$es off. That's all you can really do. If he doesn't do it for himself, if he needs a "reward" from Mom to get the grades, he's nowhere near mature enough to be in college.

You say he's in college so he should be mature enough to make his own decisions. If you are giving him money cut out the finances. Only pay for a meal plan and room. My girls both worked as RA's in college to help pay their way. Very responsible young ladies. I couldn't be prouder. There were the ones that spent more time on the extra cirricular activites as you state. Some of them ended up failing and dropping out of college. You don't say what the extra activities are. My girls did volunteer work. Finally my youngest daughters senior year she decided she needed to drop some of the volunteer work to get her school work done. Both of my girls graduated from USF with honors...He has to make the decision to study instead of doing other things. But like I said if the money isn't there for him to do them then it will help...

If he is in college - it's up to him. I would remind him -- constantly -- that unless he keeps his scholarship, he'll be at home working at McDonalds...

YMMV
LBC