he seems to be a bright kid, but it is extremely difficult to motivate him to do anything for which he is not self-motivated.
Oh, that sounds familiar! That's been an unexpected problem, with Michael, this year, because he's very smart (in his self-motivated areas!) and above grade-level, accademically, so they think he's on grade-level in other areas as well, like social & emotional. I've come to loathe the "bright" word. Physically, he's 13, as tall as his mom, and will have to start shaving soon, but on the inside he's about 7, maybe. He still wants to sit on my lap & cuddle up to Mommy. Which on the one hand is sweet, but on the other hand... probably should be discouraged.
find that my style of raising Andy is very different than I had envisioned it when I was pregnant.
Oh, yeah. Of course, probably a lot of people find that, but it's more dramatic in your case. But, as has been mentioned up-thread, different kids respond to different motivations (even the "normal" ones) so you've really got to be flexible and find what works best for your specific situation.
Hmm, I think this thread has drifted
Oh well, we're having a good conversation, so that's all that matters, right?
PJ
