My Son Won’t Get His Grades Up — Counseling Corner

Every Thursday we highlight a problem from a listener. We give our advice and ask other listeners to offer advice. Welcome to the Counseling Corner.

Dear Brain and Courtlin,

I have a 16-year-old son and he’s a pretty good kid. He’s very kind, he rarely gets in trouble, and he follows the house rules. He’s also extremely musically talented. He and his friends have started a band, and it’s just your typical high school garage band with a silly name, but he really puts a lot of effort into it. I only wish he would put that much effort into his grades. He is passing his classes, but he’s definitely not doing well. My husband and I think he’s neglecting school for his new band, and we are not ok with it. We’ve explained to him several times that he needs to get his grades up so he can get into college, but he doesn’t think it’s important because he wants to pursue a career in music. Although we are all for supporting our child’s talents and dreams, we also want to be realistic. The music industry in really hard to break into and we want him to have something to fall back on. How do I explain to my son that grades are important without sounding like I don’t believe in him? I don’t want to have to take away his guitar as punishment because I’m proud of him for his dedication, but I don’t know what else to do. Is there another way?

Beth

Read More: I Hate My Daughter's Boyfriend -- Counseling Corner | http://khak.com/i-hate-my-daughters-boyfriend-counseling-corner/?trackback=tsmclipEvery Thursday we highlight a problem from a listener. We give our advice and ask other listeners to offer advice. Welcome to the Counseling Corner.

Read More: I Hate My Daughter's Boyfriend -- Counseling Corner | http://khak.com/i-hate-my-daughters-boyfriend-counseling-corner/?trackback=tsmclip