My daughter is forgetful and loses everything...

Q. My 13 year old daughter is very forgetful and is constantly losing things. Every week she seems to lose parts of her school uniform, her watch, travel card and I am sure she would lose her head if it wasn’t securely attached to her shoulders. Any suggestions would be most welcome as I am at my wits end.

A. In the first instance, as difficult as it is for you as a parent to take a relaxed approach towards seemingly constant disarray, displaying frustration at your daughter will only put her under more pressure. One strategy she might find helpful is to go through her routine with you step by step and make a colour coded list as to what equipment she needs throughout the day. This could go in her planner or dairy.

Try to encourage her to develop routines; for example putting her watch in the same pocket of her PE bag each time will eventually become a habit. Talk to staff at school to flag up what you are doing at home and ask them to keep a watchful eye as your daughter tries out her new strategies. Girls who tend to lose things can think they have “completely lost” something but in fact they have just left it somewhere else, so encourage her to let her Form teacher know when this happens.

Lastly, do remember to praise her when she has had a successful day and comes home with everything!