It's written for middle/upper class parents who have somehow managed to find themselves with nearly no idea how adolescent development works.

Who refuses to take responsibility for his schoolwork unless you trawl through his bag to make sure it gets done.This is the first and only parenting book that was even slightly familiar with what we deal with daily. It is so simple but oh so real and raw and sincere and compassionate that I already know I will read it more than once.

This perceived laziness is if you like the other end of the spectrum reaction of the hypercompetitive society we live in, with Perfectionism at one end and ‘Opting Out’ at the other. He’s NOT trying hard, not seemingly concerned about grades or school, in fact they might describe him as ‘barely motivated’, or even ‘lazy’.There’s nothing quite as irritating as being the parent of a “lazy” teenager— nagging, micromanaging and all. Rather than reacting to pressure by shunning academic responsibilities altogether or propping up fear-based rebellion with justifications like “I am not going to be one of those nerds who have no life,” or “Tests don’t measure intelligence or help you learn, so what’s the point of studying for them?