Parents have been advised on how to encourage their children in secondary schools to enjoy learning.

David Coleman, writing for the Irish Independent, responded to a parent's letter, which stated that their 13-year-old daughter had a bad attitude towards learning.

While she does her homework, she does not aspire to do as well as her older sister.

Mr Coleman noted that many teenagers only look at short-term consequences and not long-term goals.

Parents may want to encourage children to have plans so they can aim towards them.

Mr Coleman also said youngsters with high-achieving elder siblings could suffer from a fear of failure.

He stated that this could be a "source of negative comparison for her", which may encourage her to not try and compete with her sister's achievements.

Mothers and fathers could also look for signs of depression among their teenagers, as Dr Foluso Ademol and Dr Declan Sheerin wrote an article in the Irish Medical Times stating that irritable moods and a sudden drop in grades could be signs of the mental illness.

Written by Donal Walsh 

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