(…) There are many ways in which parents work toward getting their children and teens to be self-motivated.

Young children receive encouragement and little rewards for appropriate behavior and for doing a job well.

As children grow into teens, the hope is that the adolescent himself will function more independently. This should happen without great deals of direct intervention from mom and dad. That doesn’t mean that Joe Teen now has total freedom. Parents should still take away the car keys for a while if grades drop or curfews are ignored.

Responsible parents supervise and do those things that moms and dads need to motivate kids. That isn’t a bad thing, but motivating kids means more than offering a new iPod for good grades. Though recognizing our kids’ accomplishments is certainly fine, self motivation comes from true success experienced by your son or daughter.

So, how do you promote successes that perpetuate continued motivation? Make note of your child’s current motivation. Now, I realize some of you would exclaim, “I guess my child is motivated to breathe!”

It may seem that way, but look closely and see what makes your child tick. What is it that he likes doing? Why? Assist him to build on that in order to be motivated in other areas. In other words, help your child see that since he is motivated over here, he can be motivated over there.

Motivation can extend from areas your child feels good about himself to those areas where he has less confidence. Sit down and explore these areas together.

Parents will have to leave their comfort zones in order for their kids to experience success. That’s putting it in nice, psychological terms. In truth, some parents are going to have to give up their life’s passion — doing everything for their kids and demanding that others do the same. (…)

Finding motivation as a lifetime characteristic is something that comes from successes that are truly earned by the child, not the parent. (…)

Source: Gaston Gazette, NC
http://tinyurl.com/yw3lcu