I had the same problem when I was in school. I don't know how your child is, but in my case all the way through high school I was intelligent enough that I never had to try in order to pass or even make good grades. (I mostly made and A in everything with a very rare B.) My parents were always on my case, not because the grades were bad, but because they knew I was just not trying. My problem was fixed when my mother went and spoke with the school and had me moved to advanced classes. (called AP in my school district) I really didn't have to try all that hard, but there was just no way to do well - or even pass - without doing the reading and the assigned homework.

Again, it still did not make me try my very best (and nothing they could have done would have) but at least this way I had to develope some sort of study habits, which helped tremindously when I got to college.

Don't know if this would work with your child, but it did help me prepare for the future. I also found that many of the teachers who taught the AP classes, especially in high school, were not so worried about the students memorizing information to pass a test. Mostly they were concerned with us actually learning to think for ourselves. That helped a lot as well, becaues a large problem for me was the stuff they were teaching - you just don't have to be motivated to memorize a study sheet and pass a test.

The problem is maybe more with yourself than with your kid. You think that your kid need to just listen to his teacher and the 'experts' and if he does what they say everything will turn out okay. Is your concern only whether your kid gets to college and gets a good job? Fine, but the school's main interest is to build mindless drones that can process information. Most of what your kids have to spend time on in school at this point is useless - they will forget much of it by the time they go to college - or sooner. Introduce your kid to stuff that actually matters - the classics: Homer, Plato, Arsistotle, Plutarch, Herodotus, Shakespeare. Teach them about the thousand years or so of European history that the school leaves out. Have them learn about the foundations of our scientific culture by learning about Copernicus, Gallileo, Newton, Descartes. Boys especially need this stuff. In other words - give them a book that is older than 100 years!!! Then worry about their grades and homework. Your kid needs to become a well-rounded individual who can think in critical terms. The schools no longer do this stuff for them. Don't worry about homework so much - you have until high school to 'fix' your child - grades don't matter untill then.

I live in your world, some of it is just a boy thing. My 11 year old son is way smart (far beyond his 2 older sisters) but has been cavalier about turning in homework and then started lying about it when asked. He gets A's on everything in class and is superior with everything except homework, even homework he has done but misplaces and somehow doesn't get it turned in. I know that motivation has to come from his own heart, not mine. I've already been through the 6th grade (actually this is my 4th time!). I wanted him to own the problem cause as long as I do, he doesn't have to, I'm just getting worked and he is doing what he wants. So, I told the teacher (to her surprise) that I want him to crash and burn. So I sentenced him to hard manual labor for lying (yardwork and cleaning the garage) and I told him homework was his problem, that it was he who needed to get into college not me and so forth. Well he brought home a lousy report card and very sheepishly came into my office and handed it to me. We went over it together. He had a D in one subject just because he didn't turn in 3 assignments and other assorted C's. I looked at him in the eye and without lecturing asked him if he was happy with his grade report, "no", did it really reflect the type of student he thought he was? "no" would he like to be on the honor roll? "yes" What and how would he go about making that change and what could I do to support him in that endeavor. I asked him a very serious question, "what do you want?" I could see it click that it was his problem. I think it worked as I've had no midterm reports from the teacher, I've seen him doing his work and the friday updates she sends home show he has all work in. If you've got a smart kid, let them own the problem. Every time we say, "I told ya so" in any form we negate a lesson that they need to learn. They're building a frontal lobe now and how cause and effect is blazed in their brains today will effect how they are when they're adults. I say, empathize with their pain, partner in caring for them but don't fix it, fix them or let them make you own it.

Motivation comes from within. You can't make it happen. I had one not-motivated by age 13 and one who was the opposite. It's very discouraging to see your child make poor choices. Yes, they will be the ones suffering for it but the parent(s) are along for that terrible ride too - like it or not. Maybe they'll snap out of it someday before high school ends but if not there's an even longer road ahead. I just came across a lengthy quote from the book "Marva Collins Way" posted on my friends refrigerator. It speaks strongly about education, and the choices & consequences we make regarding it. My friend stated she posted it where she thought her 5 kids would see it. I've requested the book at our local library. At some point I would think every child would fully read it during the course of growing up if it was posted - even if parents never saw them reading it. It can apply to everyone regardless of where you are in your life.