He's Not Lazy: Empowering Your Son to Believe In Himself

“good boy.”

more acutely than when he was younger. In just a few years’ time he will have a more secure sense of himself, one that incorporates all the values you raised him with but that is also uniquely him. Don’t fear—all of those values you instilled in him are still knocking around in there.

And although he would deny it, he is still watching your every move for more clues about who he is or what he will become. Being a good role model is even more critical now because, these days, your teen is observing you even

A teen’s morality often dictates loyalty to his peer group rather than to you or even to the society at large. At this stage he’d rather be a “good friend” than a

CONCENTRATION.

like: “Right now you’re in the middle of a thunderstorm. Your problems may well feel all-consuming and miserable, but it never rains forever and it’s not raining everywhere. At some point these clouds will pass by and you will get beyond this. Don’t forget, too, that there is a reason planes fly so high: Above the clouds it’s always clear. In the b

Thompson, by eighth grade 50 percent of kids still make decisions of moral consequence based on whether they will lead to punishment.

HE IS GOING TO ACT OUT HIS AMBIVALENCE ABOUT GROWING UP MOSTLY AT HOME. That is where he will act lazy, irresponsible, and demanding. I am not telling you to just keep quiet and take it, but do not make the mistake of believing he will never grow up, or get too frustrated when none of your actions seem to help.

there will be numerous times when he is not thinking about the consequences of his behavior