UCB Parents Advice about Teenagers
Forgetfulness
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Dec 2001
My 14 year old/8th grader is continually turning assignments in late - and has
recently "forgot" about a take home test. His actual work is good - usually an A
or B+, but he is marked down a letter-grade for lateness, and so his morale is
down and his overall GPA is really suffering. We have tried everything we can
think of to help him get organized - offering bulletin boards, and date books,
and printing out class weekly assignments. We have taken away privileges or
had calm discussions, we have left him alone to take the consequences or have
intervened to give him structure. NOTHING seems to help. I know this
hormonal and somewhat age appropriate - but it is really concerning us. He
wants to go to Berkeley High next year rather than private school, but I am
reluctant because he doesn't seem to be able to be responsible and handle his
basic obligations - and I know he needs to be "self-motivated and
self-disciplined" in order to do well there. PLEASE offer any suggestions on how
we can help him get his act together.
Re: forgetfulness. I wonder whether your child has ADD or some other
kind of similar problem. It might be good to have your child tested
by a neuropsychologist to find out. Then it might be clearer how to
handle the situation. If you want recommendations, I'd be happy to
give them to you. Good luck. S.
I also have a son (now 13) who tends to be forgetful. In reality, he
is not "forgetful" he just has a tendency to become spacey and
ungrounded. Sugar and fatigue are what make him very spacey.
Therefore, what we do is ensure that his diet is as sugar free as
possible (no soda, no candy, no ice cream on a school night, and no
white flour or white rice), that his diet includes lots of vegetables
and fruits and is primarily whole grain, and that he gets a good
night's sleep every night. This makes a big difference. The diet
part has been a challenge, and was implemented over 4-5 years. But,
he is now willing to participate in both the diet and the sleep
because he can tell the difference, amd he doesn't like it when he has
a hard time focusing and remembering.
Y.
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