Question
Our 14-year-old daughter is bright but lazy when it comes to school. She doesn’t make the effort to do well; she rarely studies and frequently doesn’t turn in homework or finish in-class projects. We’ve tried having teachers sign off on her work, but that didn’t have a lasting effect. We’ve told her she needs A’s and B’s to do her extracurricular activities, which she loves and practices to perfection. When she puts in the effort, she does get great grades. Oftentimes her teachers comment that she doesn’t put forth the effort needed to do well. We limit her time on her phone and have taken away her beloved extracurricular activities to no effect. Our daughter is good at turning bad situations to her favor, often by looking at the consequences as something positive. We also give her incentives to do well, but that doesn't motivate her either. We’re struggling with how we can get her to care about school since every consequence and incentive we’ve doled out has not motivated her. What would you advise?
