… to think there's something wrong with me? :(

[Dieu]

No piss taking please, as I feel genuinely, irrationally upset at this moment!
My 10 year old daughter just asked if I would plait her hair. My heart sunk, as I am completely rubbish at doing hair. I tried and failed, so we looked up THE most simple hair braiding youtube tutorial. I still couldn't get it, or what my hands were supposed to do. Teenage daughter (girls are wasted on me, with my poor hairdressing skills!) came into the room, and did her hair in two seconds flat. I also couldn't get my head around it when she showed me. Than it struck me that I have failed 8 driving tests (the theory was aced first time). Could it be linked? Academically I am bright; I have a first class degree and can speak several languages. However, my practical/manual/co-ordination skills completely suck! I actually felt embarrassed just there in front of my daughters, and pretty fucking ineffectual. Is anyone else like this? Can't help but feel that I'd be diagnosed with something, if still in childhood (I should add that I possess good writing skills, etc). Of course it could be that I'm over thinking this, being too hard on myself, and that I just happen to be shite at practical driving tests and hair!

My best friend was very academic and successful at work etc.

She took 8 years to pass her test, can't plait hair, couldn't unfold her pram etc.

Nothing medical, just one of those things.

I have loads of stuff I can't get my head around. It took 6 months for me to learn how to curl my hair with ghds.

We can't be good at everything. In future just pay the teenage daughter to do the hair braiding.

See I'm great at Maths, have a Maths degree,and my spelling is great, my writing is fine but I print I can't do cursive because I can't work out where a letter ends and the next one begins.

I can diagnose you but you can buy gadgets that plait hair.

They're called Automatic twisted braid devices. That might help with the plaiting problem. It looks as though you just stick it on your head and it magically plaits hair?
Not sure if it actually works though...

Of course, acasualobserver. But there is definitely a pattern emerging here, and it's interesting after all these years to put the pieces together a bit.

Hopefully it would come with simple instructions!

bless you ! x
No1 can be good at everything all the time.. and although you felt embarrassed it's a good life lesson for your daughters to know !
(My OH does jujitsu and likes our older children come and watch him get his ass kicked at competitions, just so they know that it doesn't matter if you aren't always the best at everything )!
My eye hand coordination is embarrassingly shite, sometimes u just have to cringe inwardly and laugh outwardly !
I bet ur still a top mum in your daughters eyes ! :)

I have occasional really daft things, like I cannot tie a bow the right way up. No matter what I do it's always upside down

Sorry, I meant to say I can't diagnose you!

Having looked online, the hair braider does look like a torture device .

I went to school with a lad who got a PhD in astrophysics.
He has to wear Velcro shoes as he can't tie shoelaces,
This is not an uncommon thing I think :)

Joining to say I failed 6 driving tests and have no spacial awareness- constantly walk into door frames in particular as I can't seem to align myself with the opening!

I also have a first class degree and a good set of A-levels. OH despairs over how clumsy I am. I'm excited to have found 'my people!'

I have a first class degree and can speak several languages. However, my practical/manual/co-ordination skills completely suck!

You can't be good at everything. People have different talents. I can't parallel park - at all - in spite of driving for years and having many people try to teach me. Yet I speak 5 languages. I also have an excellent business brain - I can compile financial statements in minutes yet I can't work the washing machine.

As I said, you can't be good at everything. And don't let anyone try to tell you you have a 'condition'. There's far too much of that on here IMO.

This is my DH.

Gifted software engineer, but couldn't figure out how to fold the ironing board.

I'm the same, but he's worse. At least I can fold the ironing board.

Don't be so hard in yoursel, you can't excel at everything. Some people have stronger language skills than Visuo spatial skills !!

CoolToned, I managed to shut my own head in an ironing board .

Things that involve muscle memory and meticulous repetitive concentrated movements I ace at - knitting, sewing etc, painting, especially cutting in, and, before my hands got too weak to handle the pieces, completely unfazed by flatpack. I found a trip to IKEA and the subsequent afternoon building to be quite a treat.

I'm hypermobile, though and my wider spatial awareness, hand eye coordination, proprioception etc is dreadful. I'm always tripping or stumbling and was crap at PE. I end up screaming at the kids to get their crap off the floor, sometimes because I will bloody trip over it and do myself a serious mischief in the process.

If there is too much movement around me, I often panic. I've gone out for the day, then gone straight home again on many an occasion because TOO MANY PEOPLE MILLING AROUND AND MAKING ME ALL CONFUSED!!!

DS1 is the same, but worse, much worse. He's bigger than me and I hold his arm when walking past fragile stuff, out shopping, because he's all flaily limbs - he does have diagnosed coordination and motor planning difficulties. Even dressing himself is a challenge. I'll let back to front undies and jammies slide, but I have to make him turn his t-shirt around at least every other day. He might get it right second or third try.

We're both great at maths.

I have never dared to learn to drive. Big lorries at the side of me make my head spin even more than too many people, for starters!

I am degree educated.
But still can only remember my left from right by doing the 'l for left' by looking at my hands.

Me: has advanced degrees, but couldn't figure out how to clean our rented one-bedroom flat. Ended up shoving stuff inside straw bags to hide them from the inspectors eyes. Can't drive too.

I failed 8 driving tests ... Then passed on the 9th so there is always hope.
I've not had an accident yet mind though I still can't park.

I am studying for a degree and get A grades academically. I do not know my times tables, cannot tie a bow or laces correctly (always come out weird and lopsided), hold my pen weird and have terrible spacial awareness (cannot hit a ball while playing tennis, I literally cannot see the ball moving towards me). I don't automatically know left from right (I have to check). I can't follow verbal instructions. I just put it down to being weird!

retrocutie - OMG I hope you're ok! And I hope nobody saw your head shut inside the ironing board. :D

And I am pretty sure most of us recite the alphabet song to figure out which letter comes with which letter...:P

And I am pretty sure most of us recite the alphabet song to figure out which letter comes with which letter...:P

Do you people get lost easily? It's a running joke in our family that I can't find my way out of shops because I've no sense of direction. So go in to browse and then spend ten minutes looking for the way out.

Do you people get lost easily? It's a running joke in our family that I can't find my way out of shops because I've no sense of direction. So go in to browse and then spend ten minutes looking for the way out.