Why the lack of interest at this early age?

I spoke to the father of a student whom I counselled. The father asked me how to motivate his son. He said he had tried using gifts like bicylcles as a reward for doing well,but to no avail. I told him we had to find where the boy's interest lies and then I beat around the bush to avoid answering.
Honestly, I had tried to find out where the boy's interest lies and frankly it was only play ie. computer games and TV. However I also sense he was not really mad about play too. So it really is a lack of interest in everything. It is so sad that at such a young age there is a lack of passion or interest. At a loss (sigh! struggling apprentice counsellor has this problem), I resort to books. Now a few points I found out and want to share:
Very often underachievers are reacting to major problems within the family, some are responding to difficulties with peers and others are in a head on conflict with the school system, and some face problems in more than one of these areas. These underlying issues need to be tackled before we can even work on motivating them.

Only then can we talk about helping them to:
Have a Vision - (and how achievement at school can connect with this mental image of their future)
Develop a commitment or a mission
Plan and follow through

Nurture Yourself

As part of my assignment for "Development Themes in Counselling" I have to relate any one Development Theory I've learnt to my own life experiences. I have to describe my personal experiences and describe how they prohibit or promote my development resulting in certain recurring themes in my life. For example a recurring theme could be that I find it difficult to trust people.

We then have to explore ways for healing and ongoing development.
Without going into the details, what I would really like to share is that the activites that support "growing up again" or healing in an infancy/childhood deprived of care and love is to NURTURE YOURSELF AND CARE FOR YOUR INNER CHILD. Amongst many, some of the simple activities which we can practise quite easily include (do not dismiss with a snigger):

Treat yourself to a theurapeutic massage or body wrap
Listen to lullabies while wrapped up closely in blankets
Take naps with a sheet over your face
Listen to soothing music during your bath
Ask someone to hold you heart to heart and hum without talking
Sing lullabies to the little child in you
Perform rhythmic movements (eg. swing in a hammock, sit in a rocking chair, row a boat)
Get more hugs
Close your eyes. Visualise yourself as a child. If the all-perfect mother or father could see this child right now, what would she or he do or say? Do these things and say those things to yourself or ask someone who loves you to do or say those things for you
Grieve any infant or childhood separation from parents
Do something to make your house more comfortable

(extracted from "Growing Up Again" Illsley Clarke, J & Dawson C(1998))

What I also want to say is if you are a parent, do those relevant activities more often to your children NOW.