scatterbrained 11 year old DD - no common sense what so ever

[christywhisty]

My DD yr6 is driving me mad at the moment.

Example yesterday

DD was practising for concert at theatre then in evening we were going to look round secondary school. In between not going home and no car so lots of walking between theatre, having tea in cafe, then going round secondary school open evening, which she knows will take a few hours.

She insists on taking a huge back pack to school full of I don't know what, non of which is necessary.

Told her in the morning she didn't need it and we were going to be doing a lot of walking, if she insisted on taking it then leave it at school and not take it to theatre.

Pick her up from theatre, she has back pack, but no shoes just the tattiest pair of plimsolls on. She had left her shoes at school. Plimsolls are left at school all the time so I didn't know how bad they were. Ended up having to waste time going into shops getting her new plimsolls when we needed to get to secondary school which made DS late (he was helping out guiding parents)

Her teacher describes her as superbly bright so she has no excuses really, but this type of thing is becoming a daily struggle. She is hormonal, but I am dreading secondary school next year.

[clouded]

Had to laugh about your DD. Just like mine was. And, no, I didn't find it at all funny at the time. Afraid to tell you she is now grown up and still the same!
She is just not interested in the mechanics of life and being bright makes it worse because her mind is full of incredible things but not shoes etc.
What is in the backpack I wonder? She sounds a wonderful girl, but I do sympathise with your frustrations.

[Acinonyx]

My mother despaired of me wrt this kind of thing - lackadaisacle was one of her kinder terms for it. I'm afraid I didn't grow out of it and dh has learned to live with it. Does she day dream a lot by any chance....?

[Bridie3]

My son is like this. His head is always full of other things. We write lists, keep diaries, have internet diaries, email reminders, yellow stickies everywhere!

[Bridie3]

He is eleven, too, year seven.

Ten-year old daughter, year five, is very sharp about organisation, by contrast.

[christywhisty]

I think you hit it in the head Clouded, she is not interested in the mechanics of life.She doesn't see why she has to brush her hair or why being late for school is a problem.

I have just had a nose in her school bag

She has

2 bulging pencil cases

3 reading books

1 book on 30's and 40's (it's her own but they are doing WW2 at school)

Her Camp Rock CD

lots of little cuddly animals

Top Trump cards

Plus homework book

I think I am bit spoilt as DS 13 is a lot more organized, he is prone to losing things but is sensible way beyond his years ins so many other ways.

She doesn't day dream so much I think Acinoyx, but does have a very vivid imagination.
She is a lovely kind girl in so many ways, but so frustrating at the moment.