But Dylan Doesn’t See The Point.
Dylan has been getting Z’s again – missing assignments – and he’s getting lots of them.
Due to some creative negotiating on his part, he now wipes them out in 24 hours, instead of getting them done immediately after they appear online. Because he got so many C’s on his third quarter report card, he claimed that it was from ‘rushing’ to do his work, rather than taking his time.
So we allowed him to have an extra 24 hours to get everything done – and he is doing it. He did lose his electronics last weekend, because one of his Z’s – a quiz he didn’t take in English – had been there for more than a week, and we’d even driven him to school early so that he could take it three days prior.
“The teacher wasn’t there,” he said. Surprise! He may want to ask in advance if he can take a pre-school quiz.
So the Z’s pop up, and then they go away. Just like always.
Unfortunately, Dylan has somehow missed the entire point. The point was not to make the Z’s go away so that he didn’t lose his electronics.
The point was to not have any Z’s in the first place.
But Dylan doesn’t see the point.
Dylan claims that “our rules” are interfering with his ability to “get it done” the way he wants to do it. I am not sure what way he wants to do it, or how our rules are stopping him from doing what he’s supposed to do.
He seems to think that by moving out of the house (when he goes to college), he will magically be able to figure out what’s due, and when, simply because he no longer has any choice in the matter. So I’ve tried backing off a bit, and seeing what happens.
And in fact, he is getting it done. Technically.
But the problem remains: Dylan doesn’t know what’s due, when it’s due, or – sometimes – what it is that’s due!
I don’t see how this is an ADHD thing. I see only that this is a teenager thing. He claims that everybody has missing assignments, even Leo! (Leo is very, very, very, very bright, and I’ve known him since the two boys were in the GT program together back in 4th grade.)
But I don’t care if Leo has missing assignments. I care only if Dylan has missing assignments.
And he does.
Still.
All. The. Time.