how to inspire teens

 As a teen I was never really inspired by my parents the way I wanted to, I always heard other teens say how much their mom loved them and how much they cared for them. Sadly, it was not in a good way: P. Now as a teen in college I think back to all the nonsense my parents and teachers have fed me in high school. I think I would have been more successful if I actually had someone tell me exactly what I was really going to need in college. Well here are some things I thought would have made me care more in school if they actually told me.

1) DONT get scared of standardized tests (FCAT in Florida) by the time the kids sat down they were sweating, biting the brand new number 2 pencils and shaking. All the teachers would scare them to death by saying it was the most important test you will ever take. Most of my friends failed this and "exam" and were placed in intensive classes. Later on when it was time to take the SAT I was not nearly prepared because those tests are nothing compared to the SAT.

2) If your kid tells you the teacher is mean and they are failing, listen to them.... as a student they do not have the power to switch out. You as a parent do. Please do not torture them by letting them stay in that class. If they are failing is maybe because they do not like the way they teach. Trust me it’s better to switch to another class then have them have a bad grade and drop their GPA. This is crucial into getting in a good university.

3) Make them get their restricted license as soon as possible. Trust me you will see them become more responsible when they start driving. Like that, once they get to college with a brand new car they don’t crash it..... There is a lot of traffic, and many students who are late to their first class.

4) Video games do ruin lives; don’t let them trick you into buying them the brand new game that cost 60 dollars. Instead make them join a sport to keep them occupied. Or find an online game so they don’t buy too many games often.

5) Listen to their problems. Don’t make fun of them or get mad if they tell you something you didn’t like. My parents always made fun of me. That why I never told them anything about what I did in high school. And sadly I went to other parents for advice.

6) This is my favorite, if your teen really doesn’t like school and you don’t know how else to encourage them, tell them this.  The real parties are in universities; study harder so you can party hard in UM (rated best party college by playboy magazine). Trust me if I had known that I would of been the best student ever. Advanced placement classes and the whole nine yards.

This is just some things that in my opinion will work. Of course there are a lot of contradictions to these but as a parent you advise your kid as best as you can. And the university thing? Yes, there will be underage drinking and doing all things you never thought were possible by your little pumpkin.  Just remember that high school is supposed to be the best years of their life, but college will definitely be their craziest.