How can I help my airy fairy, vague, dreamy DD become a bit more with-it?

[sandyballs]

Or do I just need to accept that this is how she is? She'll be 7 after xmas.

She seems to live in a litle dream world with absolutely no sense of urgency about anything, even if she knows we are in a rush, she's incapable of moving quickly. I have to repeat simple instructions several times before they sink in and she actually does it. At school she can leave the classroom first and still be the last to reach the assembly hall . School don't seem to see any of this as a problem though. Academically she is doing very well, she just seems to have no common sense and gets in a muddle when asked to do more than one thing at time, for example, get out of the bath and get dressed, needs to be broken down into more simple instructions.

What has brought this to a head today is that she spent last night with a friend with a son the same age, and my other DD (her twin) also went. My friend said there were many many instances where she was in a kind of dream state, and staring into space, whilst the other two children sorted themselves out and followed simple instructions.

Anything to worry about or just her personality?

Oh to be a child again and live like a child - dreaming that I can go back to this state of utter bliss in my life............

my sis was like this she used to say she would move out and live in the forest drink and wash in the stream etc still believes in unicorns/fairies that was when she was about 11yo now she is 20yo and is still the same even though she has dd now!

DS1 is still a bit like this sometimes, and certainly was at 7.

I think it's OK to an extent, but they do need to learn to focus and take responsibility for themselves and become independent.

And for certain tasks they do need to learn to be fast

With ds1 we got a timer and set up a chart and timed him in the morning how long it took him to get up, washed, dressed and downstairs; how long to have breakfast, etc.

It helped a lot.

Get her a little note book and make a list of the things she's supposed to do or the jobs you've asked her to do. Leave it somewhere, where it can always be seen and tell her to cross things off when she's done them. I did this for my dd, she is older though and it saves all the repeating youself if nothing else! You only have to shout one instruction then - 'HAVE YOU CROSSED EVERYTHING OFF IN YOUR BOOK!'

Does she do any out of school activities? Brownies for example. It seemed to help dd. They get a bit more responsiblity, without the rules and regulations of school.