The Teenage Nephew

Hello Everyone:

 A typical Thursday for yours truly minus the splitting headache, this week. One of the big mom recent concerns is my teenage nephew. He's 16-1/2-years-old and very independent. A little too independent, if you ask certain people. The problem is that he thinks he can come and go as he please; do what he whatever he wants to do without any consequences. Grounding him is out of the question because he'd be grounded for life. His grades aren't optimal but he thinks that his charm and a letter of recommendation will get him into a good university. His behavior is another story. Let me put to you this way, the principal of his school so much as told his parents that his only keeping on the teenage nephew as a favor to his mom (the principal is my sister's former high school teacher). Mom is naturally concerned, a little overly concerned if you ask me. I say overly concerned because we don't live with him and he is at an age where he can learn to deal with the consequences of his actions. He's not destructive or into things he shouldn't be into but it does seem to be running a little to wild. I think the scared straight approach may be the best way to deal with him. Let him fall and deal with the results.  As far as his school is concerned, I know hindsight is 20/20 but maybe the school he goes to wasn't the right one for him. My sister and BIL were so insistent that their children go to schools that reflect their religious believes that they overlooked their childrens's individual needs. I think he needed  a school that has less emphasis on religious studies and more emphasis on general studies. That's me. I don't even want to get into his eating habits except to say he's a human vacuum. Oh well, he's not my son.