Procrastination
I read an article recently that was targeted at parents of kids ages 12 to 14, that was about helping kids keep from procrastinating on their homework. But it was all about what the parent can do to manage the situation, with some about the kid’s responsibility in all of it. My personal feeling is that parents need to take a consultant role when it comes to their teen’s homework, and then step back and let the child handle it.
We want to arm our kids with the best resources and skills possible, but at some point we have to give them the space to do it all on their own. This is a great issue to bring up at a family meeting: “I’ve noticed that I’ve had a lot of last minute requests lately for help with homework. What could we do to get everything handed in on time?” Do some brainstorming, find out where your kids feel they could use some improvement, then give them a hand without “owning” the situation yourself.
If they stand a chance at being successful, they need these skills and systems to make the most of their natural talents and abilities. But they also need to be able to implement these systems themselves, so now’s the time to show them how, and let them do it.