HOW TO GET 12 YEAR OLD BOY TO SHUT UP...
HOW TO GET 12 YEAR OLD BOY TO SHUT UP...
Author
Discussion

Pothole

Original Poster:

34,367 posts

312 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
...and pay attention at school.

Anyone got any ideas?

He lacks the capacity to concentrate for a whole school day and keeps getting penalised for acting the goat, calling out out of turn or otherwise drawing attention to himself.

He reckons he'll be fine at GCSE time as he's coasted through all his testing so far thanks to a decent memory. I was similar at his age but came a cropper at O level as my fabulous memory wasn't up to the job.

Ideas and experiences welcome.

Thanks in advance.

griffin dai

3,341 posts

179 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all

Vitorio

4,296 posts

173 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
Challenge him more? If he gets by with good memory and coasting, he's not having to work hard enough

S11Steve

6,389 posts

214 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
Give him a label, like ADHD, or "on the spectrum", and then he can continue exactly like he is but it'll be totally accepted.

In reality, our eldest is the same - unless it's an online xbox game, he ain't interested in anything, Even offline games "are so like totally lame".
We had some engineering works at the local exchange this weekend, so the internet connection was up and down.

It was like an apocalyptic scene when it switched off...

That said, it is the ultimate lever for us - he knows that the consequences of bad behaviour is the the internet being blocked for a week for him. It's happened a few times, and he is moderating his behavior dramatically now he has recognised that we follow up on the promises.

Peanut Gallery

2,734 posts

140 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
Diet?

Remove the sugar / E-numbers / fast food - helped with my now brother-in-law.

Mansells Tash

5,793 posts

236 months

Mark Benson

8,264 posts

299 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
Pothole said:
He reckons he'll be fine at GCSE time as he's coasted through all his testing so far thanks to a decent memory. I was similar at his age but came a cropper at O level as my fabulous memory wasn't up to the job.
Me too, but I coasted through 'O' Levels and came a cropper at 'A' Level.
It only sank in when I found myself at Poly in Birmingham, not Uni in Durham as predicted when I was 16.
To be honest it was only that short, sharp shock which changed my attitude, prior to that I was your typical teenage boy; I knew it all and no-one could tell me otherwise.

If you can paint a picture of the possible consequences that's believable or hits home you might have a chance but thinking back to all the warnings and dire predictions I was given.....

If he fails soon enough to wake him from his complacency then so much the better.

WestyCarl

4,082 posts

155 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
My lad was (is sometimes) similar, currently finds the work easy, so gets bored and acts the clown.

We gave rewards / sanctions based on effort and behavior not results. He wasn't happy when he got good results but only average "disposition to learning" and got a bking, but he slowly learnt.

Monkeylegend

29,461 posts

261 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
Duct tape.

Pothole

Original Poster:

34,367 posts

312 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
Monkeylegend said:
Duct tape.
Mrs P has outlawed any ideas I might enjoy!

Monkeylegend

29,461 posts

261 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
Pothole said:
Monkeylegend said:
Duct tape.
Mrs P has outlawed any ideas I might enjoy!
Spoil sport.

xjay1337

15,966 posts

148 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
TBH, I was a bit of a joker at school. I was bored and funny (ish) so the laughter of others fuelled me. Eventually I settled down of my own accord.

I would suggest ensuring he's well rested, fed breakfast etc, and as a poster above suggests, reward based on results and positive behaviour.

FN2TypeR

7,091 posts

123 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
NeMiSiS said:
My Son is the same, it must be normal.

I blame the X box, my Son has developed an American accent as the characters in his favourite games are American.

He has x box parties most evenings chatting to his mates via headsets and mics who also have American accents.
Confiscate it then.

My Dad did that to me to teach me a lesson, it worked too, the miserable tt! jester

anonymous-user

84 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
I was the same, then went and joined the air cadets.

Was something different and allowed me to meet new people and get off the Xbox. Got me into fitness and sport.

Also.... there were girls there too.


Please don't forget that his gcses are 4 years away, kids change a lot during that period. The average 12 y/o and 16 y/o are world's part. Putting too much pressure on them now doesn't mean it'll pay off down the line.

My parents really, really pushed me at GCSE, then at A level without the pressure my response was to do sod all and let myself down massively.

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 9th January 16:04

anonymous-user

84 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
set him a target for his report and offer positive and negative consequences.

ie find out what motivates him and give him more of it if he does well and take it away if he doesn't try hard enough.

eg phone, computer, xbox, football, going out.
Or all of it.

Orchid1

906 posts

138 months

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

285 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all

RizzoTheRat

29,022 posts

222 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
Change the router password every day and make him do stuff to earn the days password. smile

J4CKO

46,970 posts

230 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
xjay1337 said:
Eventually I settled down of my own accord.
O RLY ?

anonymous-user

84 months

Monday 9th January 2017
quotequote all
It is tricky, convincing young men that hard work is cool. Perhaps give him some aspiration by taking him to some cool university departments to look around, or show him the difference between a good job and a stty job? Might shock him into working harder.