@PragmaticMom, how old is your son? Boys do take longer to mature. My son used to balk at challenging himself because he didn’t understand the necessity and preferred to take the easier road. Now that he has visited colleges and better understands why some of these choices matter, he has really kicked it into high gear. I think his new industriousness and motivation reflects both his increased maturity and also his understanding of the inter-relationship between his work and his future.