The odd couple

[BillK]

Anyone else have one kid who is neat and tidy and takes care of their stuff and another who is a total slob and completely destroys most everything? I just don't get it. Our oldest is so tidy and our youngest is the complete opposite. Heck he took a dump sometime earlier tonight and managed to actually crap on the bathroom floor DIRECTLY in front of the toilet! God.....

[Indianamom2]

Yep...except it's older DD who is a mess and Ds (2) is a neat freak.

[BillK]

I'll admit my wife and I are total neat freaks but it's like being neat is completely foreign to him. Just not even on his radar AT ALL. it's so bizarre. We both probably could have a formal diagnosis though....

[twowhat?]

YES!!

DD2 is the NEATEST eater. I mean, she's almost neater than I am. She never dirties her hands and if she does she wants them cleaned off right away with a napkin. She never has food smeared all around her mouth and I don't remember the last time she spilled something. She never comes home from school with food stains.

DD1, on the other hand, CANNOT EAT NEATLY TO SAVE HER LIFE and comes home almost every day with food stains. I can tell what she had for lunches at school without looking at the menu. I probably won't be able to re-sell her clothes.

And, I am sorry to admit that I find it really aggravating. Probably because I have DD2 to compare to.

DD1 is SO messy that our dogs figured it out very quickly, and they only lay underneath her chair (but not DD2's) at mealtimes.

eta: I'll take food over crap on the floor any day. Sorry.

[Indianamom2]

I'll admit my wife and I are total neat freaks but it's like being neat is completely foreign to him. Just not even on his radar AT ALL. it's so bizarre. We both probably could have a formal diagnosis though....

I don't know how old your boys are, but have you seen any signs of ADHD in your disorganized son? Turns out, DD has ADHD and being so careless and disorganized and messy are signs (she has others also). Just a thought...

[BillK]

I don't know how old your boys are, but have you seen any signs of ADHD in your disorganized son? Turns out, DD has ADHD and being so careless and disorganized and messy are signs (she has others also). Just a thought...

Not really - our slob is almost 5 now while the neat one is 7.

He can be totally on-task on things he's interested in for the longest time. I just picture him being some sort of astrophysicist someday amidst total squalor....

[Indianamom2]

Not really - our slob is almost 5 now while the neat one is 7.

He can be totally on-task on things he's interested in for the longest time. I just picture him being some sort of astrophysicist someday amidst total squalor....

:hysterical: There's always that!

[wendibird22]

Yes. DD1 is neat and DD2 isn't. I was just going through a box of DD1s old clothes to pull out the next size for DD2 and marveled at how it's all in such great stain free condition (size 24mo and 2T...so typically still a messy food and craft project stage). Now, DD2 comes home covered in sludge every day I swear. DD2 has also destroyed just about every non-board book we own and yet DD1 has always been ever so gentle with them. I'm pretty sure DD2s first sentence was "Dis broken!"

[ourbabygirl]

Haven't seen it yet in my kids (they're only 1 and 3, so too young to tell), but my brothers are this way. They grew up sharing a room, and after college, they bought a house together. The younger brother was always complaining about what a slob the older brother is... he'd leave all his nasty dirty dishes in the sink, clothes everywhere, etc. Also loses *everything*- his wallet, glasses, keys, you name it.
Funny that he ended up marrying a woman just like him (messy and also loses everything). And now they have 3 kids, but a nanny and a housekeeper, so if it weren't for those ladies, I'm sure they would all be living in squalor!
It's amazing how two people can be so messy, disorganized, forgetful, late for everything, etc., and still be very successful business people in their work lives!

[StantonHyde]

He can be totally on-task on things he's interested in for the longest time. I just picture him being some sort of astrophysicist someday amidst total squalor....

This is my son. To a T. Seriously. There is just too much going on in his rocket scientist brain to even bother with earthly things like getting dressed with your clothes NOT on back wards!!!!!! (and he does have dyslexia and some ADD)

On the flip side, this was also my brother and me. My brother organized his sock drawers by color. I lived off the laundry that I left on the floor. I am still a slob. (Although I have never missed the toilet :rotflmao:) It drives DH nuts because I just don't see the mess. And I am totally focused and make a living by organizing people and projects. I just don't want to do it at home!