my teens do not seem to care about their future

Hello Celray... To answer your question...NO they don't think or much care about their future. Which baffles me to no end because at the ages my grandsons are(13/16/19) I was working 2 jobs; raising children and trying to make a marriage work. That was at 19. Well at 16 even I had a job in a restaurant waiting tables. And handing over part of my tips and paycheck to my Mom.And at 13 well...I was helping to raise 5 younger siblings. I learned to cook at 7...change diapers at 7..feed and burp at7...and from then on it has gone on for 39 years now. But I fear Celray is that we have groomed our children to say "hakuna-ma-ta-ta. Don't ask me exactly how we did; but I am a firm believer that "children LEARN by what they live".I did it; my Mom before me did..etc. etc. BUT HEY!! I do have some good news in my reply; it appears that my oldest G'son(19) HAS began to grasp "the future, and adulthood"!!! YIPPPPEEEEE I am awashed with pride at him; and my inner voice tells me "I think he really listened to SOMETHING I said"; and I believe that I and you will live long enough to HEAR them say....."I should have listened to you more; or you were right".And Gods word does say to "train a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it" Prov. 22:6 I have been blessed to have seen that very thing happen several times.And I pray this blesses you somewhat.

U should had a better family planning to avoid this problem.

You have not said what the teenagers said about the problem when you talked to them. You did talk to them about this? When you talk to them, I advise you listen very carefully. Your children know what is bothering them better than anyone else in the world. They may not know what to do about their problems, but they know what they are. Do not tell them they do not know what they are talking about in regards to their own problems. Be prepared to be surprised and to seek help if necessary when you find out what's up.

I am having the same problem with my daughter. She has given up college and just wants to hang around with her friends. None of them have any job prospects either. I honestly think we do spoil our kids nowadays and they don't seem to have an awareness that they need to work hard in order to get on. I'm not saying all, but where I live there seems to be alot of teenagers leaving school and finding it difficult to get a job or just preferring to hang around the streets with their friends. I am trying to motivate my daughter, but will not support her financially when she does just want to hang round the streets. We have had many an argument and I think she is beginning to realise now that she needs to go back to college to get a skill. School for alot of kids today is boring and does not motivate them. My son never seems to have any homework and just wants to draw all the time. So I encourage this for him to this so at least he has an interest in something. Maybe you should start depriving them of pocket money or ground them if they don't do their homework. I admire you for coping with 6 teenagers. You must have alot of stamina!!! Good luck and remember you can only do your best. They will learn from their mistakes and as you care about them, you will always be there for them.

I think it is age appropriate. If they were honor roll students, then school is boring to them. I went through that, but no one stopped me from quitting school. Since then, I have raised two children. They both went through the same thing you are talking about. Not thinking about the future, not caring about school, etc. The main thing is to encourage your children to do the things they are interested in. They will probably get back on track. My husband and I also devoted our time to our children, through sports, family outings and good times together. I am sure it is not something you are doing wrong. You sound like you are a great parent, and your concern for their future is a concern practically every parent has, but give them some time to get being a "teenager" out of their system. I suppose I sheltered and spoiled my kids, and when they got old enough to get out on their own, they did! You say they are working, let them know that if their studies suffer, maybe they need to quit the jobs. I think they will be fine, my daughter is now in college and my son has a great full time job which he loves. I am proud of the way they turned out. (they are still realizing life is not as easy as it was at home, but they are doing great) I wish you the best of luck with them.

Encurage them to do better, but DON't force it. Kids rebel if you try to force soemthing on them. I was that way when I was growing up. Do you think homeschooling the ones that are having problems might help? Or put them in an altertive school (the kind were all the work is on a computer and they can go at their own pace).

I think that was normal because teens always thinking in they style. once they got understand how to success in life they will going to school. this is your job as parent to make them understand it. give sample to your son people not get job because they not school and say "look at that guys do you want to be like that" hope you lucky with that. don't push your son to much they will hate you. or better you consulting with psychiatries I'm not very good on this subject.

The is the same situation in which maximum of parents are going through where every parent spends their whole life for the sake of their children and at the end they deceive them.It can be due to the negligience.

Yes my daughter got the same problem with her daughteris. She is 16 years old. She does her homework but dont turn it in. She is so far behind in her english. She has to take 9th 10 and now 11th grade english over. Most of the time she wants to hang out with her friends.My daughter tryed everything she could think of. so she going to let her get her GED and have it over with.

To be honet this seems to be the trend amongst all teens, there was an article published on msn about this attitude. and it basically say we baby and over protect kids now a days so when they are adults they think everything will be handed to them and dont realize they have to actually set goals and work for things. I can remeber the title but it makes you think

I have a sixteen year old daughter and she is like that too. She figures she will coast and see what happens. I worked retail most of my life and my body is falling apart. I tell her she need to pay attention in school and get good grades so she can go to college. She tells me I am going to college they don't care about none of that stuff. She also thinks that a little minimume wage job is going to put a roof over her head and food on the table. She has a friend that thinks the same way. I tell her life is hard she tells me I know that but I will be fine. I hope her views change some time soon. I keep trying and hope one day I get through.

Thank our educational system They shovel facts in and good grades roll out. Did you or your educational system ever challenge them with real thinking questions on their future and the future of the world. Do your pose ethical questions to them? Show them the horrors that are happening in the world. Make them go a day without food so they understand hunger. Take them to a ghetto so they can experience the horrors of poverty first hand? Or is the goal to just eject them when they turn 18 so they can have facts shoveled at them for another 4 years in college or go to work in a job that they only do to make money. People raise their children in antiseptic bubbles and expect them to somehow magically realize that there's more to life than just getting by and having fun.

its just a phase. one day they will turn around im sure. let them be kids alittle while longer they will get it right. ♣

adults see teens as that way. but deep inside, teens really care about the future. they just worry differently from adults and they prefer not to show this to adults.

and i don't know what to do with my teeth it be very black

I think the reason for this is because they probably want guidance of some sort. When a child stops caring, it's probably because they feel like no one else cares. I'm not saying you don't care, but maybe they feel like it doesn't matter because no one else seems to care about their future. Also, if 4 of them are doing it, then it must be a group thing. I'm not blaming you or saying it's your fault or anything, but maybe they just all teamed up together and decided that they were through with caring about anything. Maybe they need someone to influence them to the right direction. I mean to be honest, the question is so general because there's not a lot of background information, so it's hard to give a more detailed answer.

i think once they will face hard times they will understand how they were wrong and how they should have thought about their future. But try to talk to them and tell them what will happen if they dont think seriously about their future. well anyways talk to them and try to see ifthey listen

They are time for everything. kids will care about their future once they are mature both physically and mentally. As a parent, your job is to guid them along the way.

oh dear you are not alone and never will be.There comes a time in parenting that we as parents have to just step back and let the choices our kids make show them their mistakes.We try to steer them in the right direction and while they are young we foolishly think they have listened,then they go into the world and they seem like different kids than you use to know.I have raised 5 girls,2 godchildren and one nephew.when they were young i thought they were the best,as they became teenagers I hardly recognized them.There isn't much you can do now but sit back and watch what their choices bring them.The choices they make will make or break them and although you'd like to save them from consequences,you can't.Suffering will certainly bring about obedience so sit back now and watch all your years of nagging come to fruation,because all that you've tried to warn them about will come to pass and sooner or later they will be calling you and telling you what stupid decisions they've made.

I think that during teenage life you have to discover to take responsibility for your own life. Similarly, one can only be a teenager once and you must allow your kids to take full advantage of being a kid. At the same time however you must find ways that can pressurise them to complete homework assignments, do chorse, etc etc...