My son is 11 and he is so quick to give up on things?

You can't GIVE a person drive and ambition. It has to be nurtured. Give him a lot of opportunities to try different things that he enjoys and he will find his way. Encourage him to try again, even if he is not immediately good at it but may enjoy it. Most of all, lead by example.

Help him find his passion, something to eat, sleep, and breathe for (other than children!). For me it it's my art... Also, see if he can be switched to a Montessori school that would fix his prob!!!

You can expect him to be 11 and not an adult. His brain is still growing.

That said, sign him up for sports. Or music, or something that helps him identify himself. Ask him what he wants to do. He's at an age where he is trying to figure out who he is. An activity that he loves will motivate him to work hard at that activity and that tends to bleed over into other activities.

And talk to him. Talk to him about your regrets in your life. Talk to him about what he wants to be. Accept it when he wants to be a professional basketball player (although he's short for his age). He doesn't have to be realistic -- that'll come in high school -- just passionate. Passion is what you are encouraging, but it will have to be his passion, not yours. Work without passion is just boring old work and completely not motivational.

You are a good dad to want to help him avoid your mistakes. Good luck to both of you.

It seems to be a lack of self esteem and confidence, and a child should be taught to never give up because it will benefit their individual futures. At the moment, I think the best thing would be to talk to him, ask him questions and give him tips and advice. Use encouraging words and actions towards him in events that he does, let him know that both his parents are there for him. It is a slow process to help children gain confidence, but eventually, they will get it. Reward him in things that he does, especially really good results, and if he does not do that well, make sure you show the same attitude that you would if he did very good.

Have you ever thought that maybe he is not super confident because of the marriage between his parents? Make sure you and his mum have regular talks to him about his parents and that you both love him, and discuss issues.

Counsellers are also a good thing if he does not improve. If you are worried, contact his school and discuss things. They can keep a good eye on him and help him improve.

My 10yr old used to be very inconfident, we did what we told you and he is a shining star now! Your so can be confident aswell!

Hey there Driver! These answers are all pretty good but I have an alternate suggestion. If he is giving up easily then try to find something to do together. Find an activity that does not take much time or concentration with a reward at the end. Make games out of things he doesn't want to complete and break bigger projects down into smaller bites. For instance if he is working on homework that is hard to him and several questions sit down with him and say let's do it one at a time. Work through one with him and then reward him, praise, cookie, 50 cents, whatever. Then urge him on to the next. What I am trying to teach you to do with him is to help him to learn the satisfaction and the reward of completing tasks so that he will look for harder or more time consuming tasks for the reward doing a good job gives you. And talk to him. Tell him, I was just like you but I'm not that way now. Now I finish what I start. He wants to be like you, guaranteed, and Dad, sounds like he is going to be like you! Be patient and urge him on when he feels like stopping. Good luck, Buddy!

i think to talk to him about goals and it could be something simple like finishing a book for school or scoring better in spelling tests...but over all have a simple small goal

i think to model it and work on a project together like a model car or plane..

i would praise the behavior i want to see and move forward with talking to his mom about setting goals and following through...

maybe something are to hard and he needs extra help... .

Lack of focus. It is something that comes with time...It can't be rushed.

There's is not much you can do... You got to let your son figure out what he likes and what he is good at