Yes, this is Harpo, too--he drifts off to some other galaxy and floats around there for a while quite often, and doesn't seem to hear things like, "please put on your socks and shoes, because we're leaving in a few minutes." (One of the many reasons we thought homeschooling might work the best for our particular situation when we first started is that neither Frenchy nor I could envision getting us to five different places every morning by 8:30, especially with Harpo's elastic sense of time--Frenchy's work, my work, Harpo's school, Groucho's preschool, and Chico's daycare--brrr! Too stressful even to contemplate!)
But this is OK. I decided years ago that Harpo's occasional "absences" were as much a part of him as his going-madly-off-in-all-directions hair. I just leave more time to get ready to go somewhere, and try to be as patient as possible. If I have to help him put on his socks and shoes myself in order to get us somewhere in time, then I do that, as cheerfully as I can manage. The patience has helped a lot, as has making sure he has a couple of periods a day to himself--he needs some alone time just to think every day, and when he gets that, he's more "present" to us (and cooperative) the rest of the time. The other thing that helps for us is for me to touch him gently on the shoulder or the cheek when I want his attention and kneel down so that we're eye to eye before I ask him to do something. Also, it has gotten a bit better as he has gotten older.
I really think that some people just need these stretches of creative lassitude; I think it's how they're wired, not that they're behaving badly or inconsiderately. Of course Harpo will have to learn to adapt to the way most of the world works at some point, but I'm not sure that me making a huge deal of it right now will get us there any sooner (and it would certainly be a lot less pleasant). Besides, he often has some pretty interesting ideas to report after he's had his daydream time!
Anyway, just a couple of fairly random thoughts, in hopes it might help a bit.......
minnie
