Help a frazzled parent

Wildwood11
Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:40:29 +0000

Everyone in my family of four is terribly absent-minded. We all constantly misplace all the basics–keys, phones, purses, wallets. I often leave behind my purse in stores, or walk out after paying without the item purchased. H is the same with leaving things behind in taxis or at restaurants.

Naturally, my Ds have inherited these genetic tendencies. I’ve told them that it is something they have to know about themselves and learn procedures to compensate. D1 especially has lost many things in her life (as have her parents) but basically I let her suffer the consequences by replacing things with her own money. I think she’s gotten better on her own at college this year, but who knows? D2 is somewhat better at keeping track and highly organized as a student, but can walk into a room looking for something and miss what’s right in front of her. Ironically, she has superior visual-spacial skills which seems to me a contradiction.