AmandaVT Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 So I have read about this mystery brain fog on here off and on over the years and am finally seeing it in action. Oooh boy! DS was working on some math today and became totally befuddled by 1/4 of 4. The poor kid - "6.5! Wait no, that can't be right. 7!" Um....I didn't even know what to say to the poor kid as he just looked so confused by something normally so easy for him. He forgot 5-3 last week. How long does this foggy period usually last and is there anything I can do to help him? He's starting Algebra and Biology through WTMA this year - 2 months ago he was more than ready, now I'm wondering if he'll be able to remember how to spell his name in a couple of weeks. 💜 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 Me too. My son....just ahhh.... My condolences 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted August 7, 2020 Author Share Posted August 7, 2020 Thank you! DH and I have been talking about needing to remember to be extra understanding this year. 12 is hard on brains! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 Sleep (mine slept 12-15 hrs, we did school on weekends as well) Fish Oil (helped reduce acne and moodiness for mine, suppose to help brain cells too) Protein rich foods (growth spurt) DS15 has always been a night owl like me so he was sleeping from midnight to after lunch hour. DS14 is an early bird but became a night owl except he wakes up after 9am instead of at 7am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersDozen Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 I went through this - went from straight As to Cs and even a D in 8th grade (math). I wasn't really learning - couldn't retain information, nothing made sense. A high school advisor changed my life when he suggested that I take a year off from math class. That was unheard of but he said, "Trust me." So 9th grade year I dreamed my way through English class (who knows what I read??), Biology (can't tell you anything I learned), etc. In 10th grade I took Algebra I and Geometry and got a perfect score in both classes. The fog was still somewhat there but not as bad. I was just sitting with a mom new to home schooling her 8th/9th graders and told her what I've told so many parents: Use these "fog" years for different classes if that's what your student needs. I have my kids do Excavating English, Geography, short stories instead of novels, Ellen McHenry's science programs, etc. I aim for semester-long courses that are foundational, useful, applicable, and thorough yet not overwhelming. And if math is a struggle we take the year off or do a year of review instead. I am so grateful for that advisor...giving me permission to slow down knowing in the end it would be the best thing for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 (edited) Well, I'm on my 4th 12 year old and I don't remember anyone having brain fog like that. I think that probably means that *I'm* the one with brain fog... :) ETA: To prove my point: I'm actually on my *5th* 12 year old. :) Edited August 7, 2020 by Junie 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 My DS is 13 and has been going through this for at least 2 years. Sooo ready for him to snap out of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 (edited) My DS started with this last year but he's experiencing a MAJOR growth spurt...easily 5" every year. He's 5'6" now and I expect he'll be at least 6'. All of that growing requires a lot of energy. He sleeps for 3-4 hours in the middle of the day, wakes up to eat dinner (a bowl (or two) of cereal, and a hunk of bread/bag of goldfish with meat and cheese if I insist), and then sleeps all night. I saw him with a peach in hand yesterday. Oh, happy day! He's great at getting things done first thing in the morning tho. Maybe see if there's a better time of day for doing work? In any case, my brother experienced the same thing and I recall he didn't come out of it until 14/15 (when he stopped growing so fast). At DS's current pace, that seems about right. Edited August 7, 2020 by Sneezyone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAtoVA Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 It's been later for my son....started at about age 14 and still going strong at age 16. I have a daughter age 12 and it hasn't hit yet but, then again, puberty has been slowly starting with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoeless Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 A little bit of brain fog from time to time, plus DS12 is prone to bursting into tears over small things. He often blurts out whatever thought pops into his head, and then is mortified when you remind him to be polite. Lots of tears lately. Lots and lots of tears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAtoVA Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 (edited) Lots of tears with DD age 12, too. Started at age 11 and still going strong off and on...... Edited August 9, 2020 by CAtoVA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersDozen Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Quote Looking back at 12-14- I think so much was just treading water academically. So true! I have an uber-academic kiddo right now who cannot for the life of her remember what she did in classes 3-4 years ago (she is 17). So she is most emphatic about telling parents/students about the possible brain fog years and how to get through them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammish Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 DS turned 13 at the beginning of last school year, and the brain fog was pretty epic. It frustrated both of us! Math that he used to be able to do was suddenly incomprehensible to him. I did a lot of reading here on the boards, and looking online, about The Fog. I also talked about it with kiddo, and let him know that brain fog was totally normal for his age (so he wouldn't feel like he was "stupid"), and it was okay. His brain was changing and growing, and this doesn't mean he's dumb. So we took it a bit easy last year. I decided (and reminded myself repeatedly) that preserving our relationship, and him not hating school or thinking he was dumb, were more important than getting through a certain amount of stuff in the year. He was close to finishing up pre-Algebra, but couldn't learn/retain/make sense of any new concepts. (The distributive property just made no sense to him, no matter how many different ways I explained it.) So I picked up a copy of Lial's pre-algebra (which I'd heard on this board was great for a second time through pre-alg, which some kids need), and had him work through that. It was a good confidence booster for him, helped cement some concepts, gave him more practice with word problems and applications, and gave him experience learning from a textbook (we'd used Math on the Level up until then). I also gave him a weekly checklist, with everything that he needed to do for the week. There were some things that had to be done every day (math, writing), but other things he was free to chose for himself, as long as it all got done by Friday. And on days when the fog was particularly bad, I'd remind him that he could work on "easier" stuff (generally readings), and save the harder stuff for when his brain was a little clearer. This worked well for us. We haven't started school yet this year, so it will be "fun" to see where his brain is at in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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