<p>My 4.0 student started his summer job yesterday. On the way there, he glanced in his rear-view mirror and realized he hadn’t shaved. He didn’t have time to go back home so he stopped at a gas station and bought a razor. The clerk felt sorry for him so he let him use the employee restroom to shave. Today, day two, he’s almost at work and had to turn around to come home, as he’d forgotten his employee i.d. How do they survive at college?</p>
<p>And any helpful comment on the part of the parent such as “Did you remember x…?” is greeted with a tirade, a scowl, or some other display of disapproval.</p>
<p>Makes ya wonder now, don’t it?</p>
<p>Oh yea I have one of those really smart kids who lacks a certain dose of common sense… since early on (jr high) we have needed to coach her in life management skils… watching the clock, organizing, prioritizing, etc. She has made tremendous progress, it doesnt come natural. Now she could perform/talk math and science with the best of them, and always earned great grades but this morning (now 21) she tells me that she shaved one leg and forgot the other…</p>
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<p>Don’t they all?</p>
<p>I could write a book about my D and I am sure that my Mom could write a book about me…back in the day when hot rollers were de rigueur I was really (!) late for the school bus and in my rush got a roller so entangled in my hair that a big chunk of it had to be cut out. </p>
<p>I couldn’t skip the rollers and go to school without my hair being perfection for just one day?
Decent IQ but not every cylinder was working.</p>
<p>Not my smart kid. Sounds a lot like my sister, the college professor, however. Your son isn’t looking to go into college teaching is he? Sounds like he’s well on his way to fulfilling the prerequisites.</p>
<p>Key word is “kid.” They are supposed to do dumb things. That is part of maturing and learning. If they were perfect from day one, they wouldn’t need parents! There would be no tennage angst! It’s a rite of passage. But I also know a lot of smart and not so smart adults who also do dumb things.</p>
<p>My smart kid is 22 went to college on a full-ride, graduated magna cum laude last week, has always been very reliable but still does dumb things. I could write a page of all the things he has done that make no sense. Just last weekend, we stopped by his new apt. He was wondering why everything in his freezer was wet…had no clue it was due to the temp gauge in the frig. set on the warmest setting…He has lived in an apt./house on his own for three years!</p>
<p>I thought I could contribute to this thread, but my smart kid’s stupid things are on a totally different level than what y’all are discussing. (note my screenname). Count yourselves very lucky! :)</p>
<p>Yeh, my DS suffers from what I call “Einstein syndrome”. Smart as a whip book wise, but no horse sense at all as my father would put it. Drives me nuts!!!</p>
<p>I have 2 summer interns showing up next Tue (Juniors). I have assigned them an office mother for the summer. I told this woman it is her responsibility to make sure those kids know all the office protocols, resolve any work issues, pretty much everything they want to do they will have to go through her. In reading some of those posts, I think I have done the right thing (better her than me).</p>
<p>MOWC always good for putting things in perspective. As someone who is married to an adult like the OP’s son I can relate but also add that things that are important to us type As just aren’t that important to this type of person.<br>
The things that are important to me I handle. Those that aren’t important to him I let go.
We work together and DH now tells people “call my office and talk to DW to schedule an appointment with me”. After all these years he has learned that double booking his own appointments just doesn’t work. He has no shame in telling people that I “organize” him.
We are very opposite but it works.<br>
So…breathe, let go of the things that aren’t important to your son and hope he marries someone like me :)</p>
<p>Cross posted with oldfort. Oldfort: excellent plan!</p>
<p>I sent my 16 year old on a school trip to Spain a few months ago. She spend a pretty penny on a beautiful silver letter opener for her dad. Instead of packing it in her luggage, she decided to carry it in her purse because it was valuable and she was afraid it might get stolen." How stupid is this?!! </p>
<p>Obviously she got stopped at the Xray station. Lucky for her, one of their chaperones was a priest (dressed in full regalia) and he talked to the agent, who let her pass. She would never get away with this in the USA, but I guess those Europeans have alot of respect for the clergy.</p>
<p>My 17 years old D, who excel academically, complain to her father that I was holding her back because I would not let her drive from Nashville, Tennessee to Birmingham, Alabama to go eat fried green tomatos. A 6 hours round trip for lunch???</p>
<p>I’m at the age (stress or hormones?) of doing more stupid things than my smart kids, so I’ll lay off them.</p>
<p>H has always been an “absent-minded professor”–2/3 of our conversations start with, “Have you seen my . . .”</p>
<p>Our kids are gonna have a hard time taking care of us when we’re old.</p>
<p>Oh, MOWC, you are not alone. You know your smart kid has done another truly dumb thing when you get an early morning phone call that involves bail.</p>
<p>Please tell me that my smart kid will grow up, mature, and that everything will be alright!! Last night (exam week here) I told my husband that parenting didn’t seem fun anymore…my smart kid is acting like a dumb bunny!</p>
<p>I will not disclose which of our kids this refers to, but, to we use the phrase savant-idiot. Both words are accurate.</p>
<p>“Anyone else have a really smart kid who often does dumb things?”</p>
<p>Yes! {bangs head on wall}
but I think it is heriditary.</p>
<p>Not to go into a long list. but the latest…
wouldn’t you think that most people would put their learners permit in their wallet…?
(current location of permit- unknown)</p>
<p>YES…YES…YES…!!!
I think it needs to be chalked up to learning how to navigate in the real world. They all have learned very well how to go to school; they write well, they are good test takers, they don’t procrastinate (I have GOT to be kidding…). But they don’t know how to negotiate apartment rentals, travel arrangements, bank transactions, lost stuff, etc. etc. There is no way we can prepare them for all of that real life stuff. So I guess they are really three years old in many ways… Does that mean they acknowledge that they need help from time to time from us? Three guesses… 
:(</p>