What to do When Your Child Lacks Self-Motivation
Research shows that self-motivated kids are happier and healthier than those who are motivated by carrot and stick tactics. Parents intuitively know this. When a child does something he or she enjoys (i.e. play video games), they tend to put all of their energy and effort into doing that activity to the best of their ability.
The vast majority of healthy children have the self-motivation to do something. The problem comes when that something is not beneficial to them. It’s in this case when parents say their child does not have self-motivation. But it’s not that their not motivated. They’re just not motivated to do the things the parent thinks they should be doing.
If a parent is in this situation, then the best thing that parent can do is expose their child to more activities. While this may seem obvious, it’s much harder than you think. Parents tend to only expose their children to things they enjoy. However, if that child does not enjoy those same things there is a missed opportunity
For example, a parent may not like the outdoors so they never take their child fishing, camping, hiking, or biking. Unfortunately, the child may not find their self-motivation until later in life because of this lack of exposure.
In short, a child can only find self-motivation in activities they are aware of. A child who only finds their self-motivation to play video games, watch movies, text with friends, or use social media likely only needs more exposure to break these habits. It’s up to parents to move out of their personal comfort zone to expose their child to more activities and help that child find a passion that will benefit them in the long run.