Colman Noctor: You cannot make your child study by pushing them 

You can offer support, remove distractions, and even impose consequences, but the decision to sit down, focus, and apply themselves rests solely with them

Teenagers often lack the maturity to plan ahead and foresee consequences, but most reach their destination in their own time. Picture: iStock

Most parents will be familiar with the frustration of watching their child refuse to do something that is in their best interests. The most common example is a teenager who won’t study for State exams. You’ve encouraged them, warned them, negotiated with them, and even argued with them. Yet the books remain closed, the notes untouched, and the urgency that is so obvious to you is absent in them.

Parents struggle to accept their limited influence over a child who is at risk of missing out on an opportunity by not utilising their potential, and fear that, years later, they will look back and wish they had done things differently.