Thanks for your email.  You're very honest about how you ditch school and don't know why.  That kind of honesty is so crucial while you're looking for help, so thank you for that!

It's interesting that you say your parents seem like they don't know what to do with you.  You probably really hit it on the head.  They probably DON'T know what to do, because they don't know why you're ditching.  You don't even know!  So this problem is going to take some brainstorming from both you and your parents.

You don't sound like a dumb kid.  You sound honest and intelligent.  You don't want to flunk out of school and end up working at a gas station or something, so it's imperative that you really dedicate yourself to solving this issue.  So the big questions are...

Why do you dislike school?  AND How can you keep yourself from ditching?

People are constantly doing things they don't want to do, so just saying you "hate school" isn't a good enough reason for ditching all the time.  If that's the only reason you have, then you got to bite the bullet and use some will power. :( It stinks.  But if you feel it's something else that you can't put your finger on, then you might need to get extra help.

Do you think talking to a counselor would help you?  You said your life has been hard since you were six.  You may have all kinds of emotions that need to be addressed (or something like that.)  Going to a counselor regularly and working closely with him/her is often really helpful in these sort of situations.

What do you think you can do?  You're the best one to know, so let's brainstorm together.

Email us back!  Hang in there in the meantime!

Kate, Counselor