Good Grades on Report Cards

Now that the first quarter is over and the new quarter has begun. my teens received their report cards. I was pleasantly surprised! :) My son was very proud to have all As and Bs, and I was VERY proud of him, too. Middle school was difficult for him--he often forgot to do his homework and/or turn in assignments (which, of course, brought his grades down)--but now that he is in high school, he seems to be more "on top of things" (he rarely forgets assignments anymore). I guess a bit of maturity has made a big difference for him! :) My daughter also had all As and Bs--she struggles with a learning disability, so this is a HUGE accomplishment for her. She is much more organized and a lot less forgetful than my son was in middle school--that really wasn't her issue. She worked hard and earned her grades--she is very proud of herself, and I am VERY proud of her, too! Both of my teens worked hard and achieved their goals during their first quarter of school--I hope they continue to do as well during the upcoming school year. I have definitely learned one thing about school and teenagers--at this point in their education, how far they go and how well they succeed is COMPLETELY determined by their inner strength, ambition, and motivation. There really isn't a lot I can do for them at this point--it is all up to them. If they want to work hard to achieve good grades, they will--if they don't care, they won't. At some point in the past, everything shifted from outward motivation from parents to inward motivation from themselves--as they matured, they developed their own standards and expectations of themselves. This will bode well for them in adulthood--being self-motivated is key to living a successful life. One cannot achieve much success if they are not self-motivated--NO ONE can push them into success if they don't want it. SO the shift has occurred and my teens are now self-motivated. There was a time when I wondered if it would EVER happen--and then it did. We used to have to constantly remind them to do things that they now do on their own without being told. THIS is the good part about kids growing up--as they become more mature, they take some of their parents' responsibilities and turn them into their own responsibilities. Eventually, when they are full-grown adults, parents will no longer be responsible for their grown children's actions/successes/failures/struggles/etc. Every young adult MUST learn how to take ALL of the responsibility of themself FOR themself. Watching my teens make this transition is amazing--one day soon, they truly will be ready to go out into the world on their own and take care of themselves. I am seeing this transition occur right before my eyes--the view is awesome! :)