I have a wonderful grandson that we have invested hours and days and weeks teaching, nurturing and praying for and with. The other day we got a report that he is failing in school. He has been telling us that 'everything is alright' on all fronts and we find out that it's not. He's failing in everything but Music.
He is supposed to graduate in May and go on to college to further his education in music but at this point I see no college in his future at all. He can only go if he gets some sort of scholarship. He is a very gifted cellist and guitar player but for whatever reason he has let down in the past few months and doesn't have the slightest interest in being active in anything other than his music. Even at that, I wonder how much he cares about that because he seldom practices.
His siblings are both self starters and it's difficult keeping up with them at times even though we are pretty 'hip' if you will excuse the use of such an archaic term.
What to do? It seems only right that he should 'carry his weight' around the house as do the others but it doesn't seem to occur to him that these things are important or even relevant.
Having been on my own since about the age of 15, I have always been a self starter and motivated to 'get into the action' at every opportunity, but not him. He would rather sleep late, not bathe, eat whatever is left over in the fridge instead of cook, wear last weeks clothes because he likes them( that day) and seldom participates with others in group activities.
I'm at a loss for words here. I would like to know a way to reach him and hopefully see 'the lights come on' in that head of his, so that he realizes how much he's missing. At 18, I was a Lance Corporal in the Marine Corps driving an Admiral around the base in Gitmo, (Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 1967).
Someone, please, help me out here. I'm open for any and all suggestions, possible solutions or crazy ideas of any sort. I've been around homeless and low income people since 1987 and I see this in almost every one of them to some degree or another. Motivation is sorely lacking.
What to do?
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