Asked 9/28/2016 – Grand Prairie, TX

My 17 year old is extremely lazy and smokes marijuana. He is still in school but flunking. He does have a part time job yet; he will not listen to anything we say and states that all he cares about right now is money. Yet he stays broke. When we try to talk to him, he immediately cuts us off and storms out. The main issue is that we live in a townhome community and he was caught inside an empty unit with friends and the police were notified. This occurred after I tried talking to him calmly about his grades and bad attitude. At this point, I want him out. He states he isn’t worried about getting kicked out because he can find somewhere to go. So what can I do? I’m afraid I may truly lose it on him. Super smart kid, but a total jerk.

Answer

You son becomes an adult at 18. You have the responsibility, however, for his attendance at high school even after he turns 18. If he has not graduated from high school, speak with the school counselor. If he has graduated, you may do as you wish.