My DD is in 10th grade and I just started having her guess how long it will take to complete tasks, and then see how long it actually took her, just so she can get a really realistic idea of how long things take.

But because of the current high school grades slipping, and time management issues, asking kid to attend a less competitive school to avoid failing in college.

OP, unfortunately, it sounds to me like you don't want to pay what it costs. At the 11th hour. Honestly. I hear this all the time from parents who panic over money ... and then blame the kid. The parents say their kid isn't ready.

My DS is a junior and has ADHD. This year, we set up alarms/reminders for tons of stuff. Once a month, he has a reminder to call the pediatrician to get a refill for his ADHD medication. It only takes a few minutes but it is the most important reminder on his phone. Without the meds, he would be a mess.

Anonymous wrote:Your teen sounds completely normal, OP.

Yup. They get to college and almost all work it out. We moms are in some ways the albatrosses that link them to all the childish crap they need to give up.


My son even came home with clean clothes for Christmas break.

Cal Newport’s books on time management are quite good. The relevant one for this stage is probably the one with a (cheesy) title that’s something like How to be a Straight A Student in College. The three things I like most about it are it’s a “work smarter” approach (vs more/longer), it proposes an easily implementable structure to keep you on track and its advice differentiates between humanities and STEM courses.

Disagree with many of these posters. My child chose the lowest ranked school she got into...and is THRIVING there.

It is a small enough pond that she has regained her confidence (diminished by going thru high school in Montgomery County, and all that entails). Her grades are good and she has achieved a healthy work life balance that she did not have in high school. Being in the upper quarter of the class also means you stand out to teachers and get more research opportunities. She also received a generous merit scholarship. So, for her, I think this was the perfect path.

Anonymous wrote:It is much easier to transfer from a more competitive school to less. Be the believer.

Agree 1000% Don't teach him to take the path of least resistance just to avoid failure. His peers at the more competitive school will likely inspire him to step up his game. Give him the shot he has earned -- assuming this is actually a school that he wants to go to, not one that you pushed on him!

Drop the rope and tell him you are dropping the rope.