Olivia

My son has been complaining that he can't remember things lately. He'll
learn something or read about it and then immediately forget it. I've also
noticed that he is losing some basic math skills as well: he has forgotten
basic addition and subtraction facts. I've noticed him using his fingers to
count again. It seems to be bothering him enough so that he has mentioned
it and seems stressed about it. I don't require him to do daily math
exercises, although he has been asking to "do math", whatever that means.
We play board games that require math (things with dice, cards, etc.), but
he says he can't remember things. He has a great memory for other things,
like cars, so it could be that he's just not paying attention to other
things because of lack of true interest. Any thoughts anyone on this memory
problem?

Olivia

Campbell & Wyman

At 10:50 AM 11/13/99 -0500, you wrote:
>From: Olivia <liv2learn@...>
>
>My son has been complaining that he can't remember things lately. He'll
>learn something or read about it and then immediately forget it. I've also
>noticed that he is losing some basic math skills as well: he has forgotten
>basic addition and subtraction facts. I've noticed him using his fingers to
>count again.

Hey there Olivia..
My daughters do this occasionally too. I think that they are using their
most immediately available abacus ...
haha..and although it worries me, they don't seem too stressed about it.

Sometimes I think thatthey do this because they have not had enough rote
learning with math.

But I hear you and have experienced the same thing. I haven't got any answers.
Brooke
brynlee@...

Thomas and Nanci Kuykendall

>>My son has been complaining that he can't remember things lately. He'll
>>learn something or read about it and then immediately forget it. I've also
>>noticed that he is losing some basic math skills as well: he has forgotten
>>basic addition and subtraction facts. I've noticed him using his fingers to
>>count again.
>
>Hey there Olivia..
>My daughters do this occasionally too. I think that they are using their
>most immediately available abacus ...
>
>But I hear you and have experienced the same thing. I haven't got any
answers.
>Brooke
>brynlee@...

Did anyone consider that maybe there is energy being expended by these kids
on physical growth, physical brain development, emotional growth, hormonal
changes, etc which could mean that they have less energy to spend on
remembering non-essential information temporarily? I got really ditsy
after both of my children were born. I forgot things, I was easily
distrated and unable to concentrate, etc. I know that my problem was
hormonal changes (huge ones) and large amounts of energy being expended on
nursing, physical healing, etc. Kids go through SO much on their way to
adulthood and they go through changes every bit as exhausting and
challenging as pregnancy and post pregnancy changes.

Nanci K.

Lisa Bugg

>
> Did anyone consider that maybe there is energy being expended by these
kids
> on physical growth, physical brain development, emotional growth, hormonal
> changes, etc which could mean that they have less energy to spend on
> remembering non-essential information temporarily?


This was going to be my answer. Remember when the babies would have a
growth sprut they would sleep all the time. Also, when they were ready to
take a cognitive leap they would back up regress a bit. Like the baby
clinging right before talking starts. I've even seen it in my teen. She'll
get ready to take on another aspect of adult life and for a few weeks will,
honestly, become really ditsy.

It short-term memory problems haven't always been around I wouldn't worry. I
would buy a good multivitamin, check their diet and sleep patterns and then
wait for the next phase. You might come to miss this one. <G>

Lisa
> after both of my children were born. I forgot things, I was easily
> distrated and unable to concentrate, etc. I know that my problem was
> hormonal changes (huge ones) and large amounts of energy being expended on
> nursing, physical healing, etc. Kids go through SO much on their way to
> adulthood and they go through changes every bit as exhausting and
> challenging as pregnancy and post pregnancy changes.
>
> Nanci K.
>
> > Check it out!
> http://www.unschooling.com
>
>

Olivia

At 06:55 PM 11/13/1999 -0600, you wrote:

>
> It short-term memory problems haven't always been around I wouldn't worry. I
> would buy a good multivitamin, check their diet and sleep patterns and then
> wait for the next phase. You might come to miss this one. <G>




I am sure I will miss this stage very much! I already see it slipping away. I
will have to think about the growth spurt idea and see what other changes are
happening. I would not have been concerned about the memory issue had he not
mentioned that it bothered him. Maybe he is growing into a stage where he is
more becoming more aware of things in general, and it is becoming important to
him that he remember the details. We'll see...

Olivia