I just joined this list, so am chiming in a bit late. It sounds to me like you need to change your expectations for your son, and also consider finding out if he has other identifiable issues that might be impacting his behavior.

My daughter just turned 7 & can not multitask. I cannot count on her to be able to do 3-4 things in a row without getting distracted. She can do so sometimes, even a lot of the time. But of course, when I�m in a hurry, and need her to rush� well, it�s like the word �rush� has no meaning. And this is when I notice I say �OK, brush your teeth, get your socks and shoes on, and get your jacket on and we�ll go� that she might stop to go pee after brushing her teeth, and then dawdle in her room unless I go up and say �What are you supposed to be doing right now?�

I just attended a lecture on gifted/ADHD kids. The lecturer said with these kids, especially at this age, you need to accept that you will need to give them more mentoring and modeling, more structure to keep them organized and on track. It�s not their fault, the problem is when you expect they can do things when they really can�t. Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be, and I don�t even have an independent older child to compare my daughter to. Your older child has set an example your son can�t follow. Rather than get frustrated at your son, try to focus on being thankful that at least one of your kids is independent and organized!!

My daughter may or may not be ADHD, although it seems clear she has executive functioning issues. Knowing this let�s me tap into resources (books, discussions, etc) on how best to help kids with this kind of organizational difficulty. That�s why I suggest you look into what kinds of �issues� your son might have, so you can find resources to help you help him.

Good luck!!
Patricia