I yell and rant so much every morning that I often end up missing school. How can I change my behavior?

Maybe your letter is a sign that you’re growing up, says our elder. It’s time to stop acting like a child.

Dear EWC

Attending school has always been a problem for me, I’m either late or absent from school. I’m not bullied or that school it to difficult for me it’s just difficult for me to go at all. I know this problem does seem extremely common or just plain annoying for me to ask about but I’m just not sure what to do. My mom tries really hard to get me to school and I’m verbally aggressive in the morning: I yell, I slam doors, and rant to myself in my room or bathroom. This happens every morning. I’ve been doing this since middle school and I’m a sophomore now. I’ve been nicknamed dragon by my family by how angry I can get in the morning. I know this is such an immature thing to do — I just don’t have the will to do any better. I’ve offered to go online schooling but I don’t think she thought about it before saying no.

PicklesMarie replies

Maybe this letter to us indicates that finally, you have both the will and the maturity to do better than you’ve been doing? It may be that you are growing up.
You act very, very childishly when you get verbally aggressive, yell, slam doors, and rant. You know that… you said it in this letter. I think you may be growing up and seeing yourself in a different light. Once you see yourself you may change yourself. Try to change yourself… you are capable.
Your mother doesn’t want you to do online school. I doubt that you have the self-control to do that. It seems you give in to your whims without controlling yourself. This isn’t how adult life goes. You allow yourself to act like a spoiled and willful child. That won’t get you far in the adult world.
If you can’t do school how will you ever ‘do life’? No employer wants someone who doesn’t bother to show up.
No boyfriend/girlfriend wants someone who doesn’t bother to show up either. It seems you drive others off with your anger in order to get your own way.
Now that you see what you are doing, you can and should change it. It won’t initially be easy. You have bad habits and it will take time to change them.
This is now a make-it-or-break-it time of life when you yourself determine your own life path. This acting-like-a-spoiled-child act will cut you off from growing up if you allow yourself to continue. You are the only one who can change yourself. It is up to you… not anyone else.
I hope you find the courage to change. Get started. Take any slips back into bad habits as slips as you work to learn better self-control and responsibility.

Letter #: 448743
Category: School