Mentor?

[Anonamyous]

Hello, I recently met a woman who has a daughter. This woman has told me that her daughter refuses to focus in school. Her daughter is not a bad one. As a matter of fact, she seems to be pretty well-rounded to me. This woman told me that her daughter has a wide-range of skills from playing the piano to getting good grades in school.

Her daughter can do well in school. This woman's daughter is capable of succeeding but she can do a lot better in her occupations, if only she would focus. The woman wants me to try and inspire her daughter as a mentor. I have never done this before so I don't really know where to start.

I am a serious person but I don't tutor or mentor people so I don't know how I can help them.

Any ideas?

[2NDFLOOR]

Hello! Thanks so much for reaching out to 2NDFLOOR for suggestions on how to be a mentor, or to handle a request to be a mentor. Mentoring someone can be a big responsibility, but it can also be very rewarding and fun too! The great thing about being a mentor, is that there are so many ways to do it. This can include simple things such as showcasing positive behaviors like effective study habits, introducing someone to new activities that you think they may enjoy and excel in, just being an ear to listen to their troubles, or even participating in helpful activities that the person enjoys. The key to being a good mentor is to be a good role model, and communicate with whoever you are mentoring to find out what their desires, concerns, and questions are. This way you are ensuring that your end goal is to help the person you are mentoring, by finding out what they ultimately need help with.

In your specific situation it sounds like this woman you are referring to really admires whatever you are currently doing, which is why she has asked that you mentor her daughter. So if you are looking for how to start mentoring the daughter, it may help to look at what you are currently doing or involved in now that you think would be helpful for the daughter to see or do. For example, are you involved in any school programs, clubs, sports, or getting good grades? Any of these things may be a good thing to try and introduce to the daughter. You can also ask the mother if there is something specific that she thinks you excel in that she would like for you to teach her daughter. This may help to narrow down what to focus on as well. Lastly, depending on how close you are with the daughter at the moment, sometimes it is helpful to just talk directly with the daughter and ask her directly what she feels like she needs help in.

If you don't feel comfortable mentoring the daughter, you can also suggest some alternative options to the mom for the daughter. These options could include the daughter asking for study tips from teachers at school, or offering to get the daughter involved in a mentoring organization such as Big Brothers Big Sisters. They have chapters all over, and different programs where young adults and kids partner together. You can check out their website here: www.bbbs.org.

Feel free to suggest that the daughter call 2NDFLOOR directly at 1-888-222-2228 if she wants to talk as well. Of course, if you want to talk more about this or anything else, you can call us directly too! Good luck!