WWYD - teen drops out of school edition

[LiveWhatULove]

Your sophomore drops out of high school. They essentially run away from home, couch surfing with friends when you push the issue. They do have a job, making enough money to pay for a vehicle, plus a bit extra.

Refuses to participate in therapy, stating school was boring and a waste of time. Unable or refusing to explain life goals, does plan on continuing to work their job. No signs of major mental illness or drug use, other than above choices & reckless driving. But ultimately, nothing else so he screens negative on depression & anxiety, etc.




Also, in case anyone is wondering, this is not my child.

[AZOldGal66]

Is the child legally an adult? If so, nothing can unfortunately be done.

Hopefully the baby "adult" gets a wake-up call soon.

[Olioxenfree]

Other than earlier intervention, there isn’t a whole lot you can really do to make them at that point. I would just be having a lot of open nonjudgmental conversations to hopefully talk some sense into them with topics like what exactly does he find boring and a waste about school? Does he understand how hard life will be in the long run without at least a high school degree? Is he prepared to be homeless which is ultimately where he’s headed because people won’t let him sleep on their couches for the rest of his life? I would make it clear that I am very willing to discuss options and work to help find something that addresses his needs, but I’m not going to just bend over backwards and let him live off of us for the rest of his life, so just running away from all of his problems isn’t going to get him anywhere.

[Anonymous 1]

I'd help him look into paths to get him out of high school earlier such as a ged or the high school equivalency exam. My brother in law was about to drop out of high school but I got him on the high school equivalency exam track and he's doing very well for himself now. He went into the trades and is making great money, bought a house in his 20s, etc. He's very happy he chose this path.
But I think a lot of it depends on your relationship and approach too. If you've always patented like I'm right you're wrong and never listened to your kid they're far more likely to shut you out.

[Anonymous 2]

Is his job something that he can go full-time and support himself? Is there advancement opportunity in his job without a HS diploma and does he want to make this his career?

[LiveWhatULove]

Is the child legally an adult? If so, nothing can unfortunately be done.

Hopefully the baby "adult" gets a wake-up call soon.

Teen is 16.

[LuckyEightWow]

My daughter dropped out at 16, but we had rules for that. It was not an easy choice since transitional schooling is what we are taught to believe is the best path forward.

Back to the subject. She HAD to have a GED within 6 months. She did not need to take any extra classes but she did need a job. She did that, and she paid for a lot of her stuff.

What we learned. She tested really high in all GED subjects, she was basically bored. She was my most challenging and head string child, there was also some couch surfing, at least until we got in the same page.

She bartended for years, occasional waitressing, and did well enough to put herself through nursing school with very little debt, but it did take her a few years to figure out what she wanted to do in life (there was nothing wrong with bartending).

I think sometimes, as parents, we need to take a step back and focus on what the ultimate goal is. This kid doesn’t sound like a bad kid, just a kid who might need a different path forward.

[Anonymous 3]

I thought everyone was sure that education was a waste of money, no one needs it any more, they can just go into a trade.

[SlimShady]

I stopped going to school at 15…

Once I turned 18 I said I was homeschooled and just wrote my own transcripts in which I graduated …

Signed up for Jr. college, after that transferred to University .

[Anonymous 1]

I thought everyone was sure that education was a waste of money, no one needs it any more, they can just go into a trade.

Do you live under a rock? Some say that college is a waste of money but we're talking high school and most trades require a high school diploma. Employment opportunities are very limited without it and it doesn't cost anything to go the taxpayers foot the bill if they use it or not.