My oldest son is the absent-minded professor. I'm not kidding! He's a smart kid who can't remember his name some days! He's so forgetful and disorganized that I'm starting to get concerned. I thought early Alzheimer's happened to people my age and older, not an 11-year-old.
I realize I'm a wee bit partial, but my son is a great kid... Really! He's kind-hearted, thoughtful and very polite. Well... most of the time anyway. He's also very bright and imaginative. This kid is in some advanced classes at school, so he's not mentally challenged. I want you to get an accurate picture here.
So if my child has all these great attributes, why on earth can't he remember his homework?
He sometimes forgets to write down homework assignments in his daily agenda book. How am I supposed to be sure he gets his homework done when I don't even know what the homework assignments are? He'll also forget to bring home the necessary books to complete his homework. I'll ask him why and it's always the same reply... "I don't know. I just forgot." Let me just say I'm really starting to dislike that response.
And if, by chance, my child remembers to write down all of his assignments and actually follows through with them, he can't always remember to turn them in on time. Last week he finished an assignment EARLY and still didn't get it turned in on time, therefore being penalized with points taken off for late turn-in. Hopefully that will help wake him up. It's a shame to work hard for the good grade only to have it disappear because you couldn't remember to turn in the stinkin' assignment.
You know I have organization issues and the fact that my child is incredibly disorganized just kills me! We've discussed ways to keep organized so many times. Nothing seems to sink in. We've talked about writing down those assignments immediately rather than waiting until later, because he'll forget to do it if he waits. We've talked about stashing books and necessary supplies into his backpack the minute he knows he has homework in that subject, but he still forgets. I'd be willing to bet the inside of his desk at school looks like a tornado went through it. I guarantee there are important papers shoved to the back of it, never to be seen until the end of the school year. He could win the "Sanford & Son" award for clutter and messiness, no doubt.
At home I still find his books and papers scattered everywhere rather than put back into his backpack, ready for the next day. I know I'm not supposed to do everything for him because it doesn't teach him responsibility, but I can't allow him to flunk 5th grade because he's the absent-minded professor, can I?
I can't relate to this problem! I was always a responsible kid and my mother NEVER had to help me with my homework or keep me organized. I just did it. I know kids have so much more on their plates these days. The homework load is heavier and it's more complex. I'm starting to think 5th grade math will eventually do me in. And of course there are the MANY activities in which our kids are involved. When I was growing up I lived in the boonies and both my parents worked, therefore we didn't participate in many extracurricular activities. So what I'm saying is... I think I had less on my mind as a child than my children do today, so organization and homework weren't issues for me. Could my kid be over-scheduled?
If my kid isn't over-scheduled, is the problem stemming from the fact that he's an 11-year-old boy? I don't have girls, so I have nothing and no one to compare him to. He's so easily distracted and is prone to just staring out the window and daydreaming until our screams bring him back to reality. I'm told he does this at school too. WHAT is he thinking about? Does he have a crush on a girl? Does he have a case of raging hormones? Do kids lose their minds when they reach the 5th grade? I know I'm losing mine and I have only two words for this situation... SERENITY NOW!
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