By Sarah Chana Radcliffe
How do you motivate an unmotivated child?
Parents are powerful, but not "all-powerful." For example, parents can encourage and support their youngsters, but they can't MAKE them feel motivated enough to apply themselves to school, social activities or anything else. Parents can model, teach, pray, provide incentives, provide consequences, elicit professional help and do all sorts of things, but ultimately, they CAN'T ensure that their child will do what he or she needs to do to be healthy and successful. Other people, including one's own children, can't be controlled. Accept this, and continue to do your best.
Fighting doesn't feel good...
When you fight with your spouse it feels bad. When you fight with your spouse in front of the kids it feels worse. For most couples, learning not to fight is a long process. Some never get there, while others improve over time reducing the frequency and intensity of their conflicts. Although maturity and experience can help bring improvement, reading books, taking courses and/or seeking counseling can speed up the learning curve!
