Mother from India:
“My daughter studies in 2nd std at “School ” where you had conducted a seminar a couple of months back.
I was unable to attend this seminar inspite of getting a notification from the teacher because my daughter forgot to give it to me ,this inspite of asking her if there is “any notice from the teacher today ?”.
So i guess you realize a part of my problem, that she is getting very forgetful , this is reflecting in her studies as well. She has always been like this but its getting a little worse now.
I have gone through her exam papers in detail and see that inspite of knowing all the answers she makes silly mistakes and looses her marks.
Eg – writing “becaus – for because …. ” , for give reasons writing just from” because….. not the full question and then because….. ” inspite of telling her a lot of times… so again the teacher has to cut her marks.
In maths she forgets to solve some sums…. and just continues ahead ….
In the first standard her performance was good as in 30 / 31 minimum out of 35 , but whole of std 2nd she has not scored more than 25 / 28 in any subject and 24 max in Maths.This is what is really worrying me.
She is a brilliant student , very imaginative and creative ,confident too with very good spoken & reading writing english skills & hence her performance in Exams is very disturbing.
Her teacher feels she lacks concentration and is very lazy to write.
In school too initiallly her other language books ( hindi & marathi ) were constantly incomplete … but recently her teacher complained to me and after i scolded her she started writing them .
I kept asking her what she was doing at school when all the other children were writing ….. she just remained blank. She would lie to me that the teacher has been absent for a month or has not taught anything.
Her handwriting has gotten very bad lately.
At home too she is very careless and irresponsible. Inspite of making rules not one of things are in place .
She also regularly forgets water bottles,pencils,erasers ,books ,tiffins in school.
I had consulted a doctor in this matter so that she could guide me to a good psychologist , but she told me a start an Iron, folic acid supplement for her for a month and observe. I have seen a little difference in her but not significantly. She is also on B-complex supplement since she complained of weak eyesight. I have been suggested a hundred other ayurvedic supplements by a lot of people that would improve her concentration and memory but am confused and not too inclined on giving her a lot of medicines.
I am looking forward for your reply and hoping to find a solution to my problems.
Leila:
“Forgetfulness is part of the short term memory problem and in my opinion not much we can do about it other than creating a system that will help remind her of what needs to be done when.
To get her to work harder on any task be that home chores or school work can be a difficult task however one thing is sure scolding her will not have long lasting positive results. Using a system where she understand how she will benefit when completing such tasks will be much more useful.
I agree with the doctor. It is always good to look at what she might be lacking as those basic supplements can make a big difference. Omega 3 is also very essential and many parents have reported a big difference in their children’s behaviour after starting consistent use.
I recommend you follow your doctor’s advice and carefully observe her for at least two to three weeks.
For study time it will be beneficial for you to sit with her. This is something I still need today as an adult. When I need to get things done I do not like doing – like paperwork – I get a friend to work with me. Knowing someone is watching and putting pressure on me does somehow help speed up the process.
I wish you all the best and hope you will find a workable scenario for your daughter.”