Frazz by Jef Mallett for November 19, 2024

Definitely.

My kids were like that. Then again, so was I. Bad habits are hard to break.

At Caulfield’s age, I could do the little math homework I had in school.

Quite seriously – though I don’t think that the comic intends to go in this direction – this is 100% a symptom of ADHD. If you’re reading this thinking “Ah, yes, I too do my best work at the very last minute when in a panic” then, well, that’s a very possible explanation. Doubly so if you drink coffee to fall asleep :)

Why is an effective manner a bad habit?

As I recall, ADHD can also be frenetic where the child/person becomes inspired, starts a project in a rush, but rarely completes it before being distracted by something else. Puzzles partially complete. Construction toys partially built among scattered parts. Books left open. Research began but rarely completed. Starts young and only occasionally recedes with age and experience. But there are occasionally brilliantly successful completions in between.

Does Caulfield actually panic about his homework? I thought he just put it off until the last minute.

True story, I did this one time (i.e. waited til the last minute to write my paper) and like Caulifield, I got a good grade (A). The next time I had to write a paper, I actually started working on it early and took my time with it, proofreading it thoroughly making corrections, etc. and I was very happy and proud of the result. Turned it in and got a C.

Maybe you made the assignment too eazy for him.

Today, most teachers would suspect the kid used AI.

That was absolutely me. Yes, today they probably would have had me medicated. I don’t think that’s necessarily a good thing.

I are a jenius…

I was a habit kid with bad smarts.

I have a feeling Caulfield is ADD. The smartest kids usually are. I was one of those and was told all my childhood that I just needed to “apply myself”. What I needed was medication. I finally got diagnosed at the tender young age of 40. Most liberating thing that’s ever happened to me.Get Caulfield tested. He’s obviously a genius.

Amazing. Apparently everyone (except me) that comments on Frazz is a genius with ADHD.

A lot of it depends on what it is you’re putting off, and how your mind works. If it’s the actual writing, and your mind does its best editing internally, all waiting until the last minute means is that you’re giving your brain the maximum amount of time to think things over.

Being a cartoonist who doesn’t feel that backgrounds are important apparently isn’t the worst thing in the world, either, since there haven’t been any for several months now, and nobody seems to care.

I remember my parents getting on us to complete our homework right when we got home.

Still waiting for the evidence that he’s smart. Apparently he doesn’t even know how to use Google.

I like Caulfield, school can be boring so he needs other avenues to stimulate his mind. Mrs Olsen has gotten better at pushing the right buttons when it comes to Caulfield.

“Works best under pressure” is often a euphemism for not having the self-discipline to work at all without pressure. That goes double for those who also have ADD / ADHD. Someone with issues regulating their attention needs extra discipline (plus treatment) to get through life.

Plenty of pressure even without deliberately inviting it.

Because he’s smart he’ll try to compete with high caliber people who are as smart as him, but have good habits too. Good thing Caulfield is comic kid who never ages our of third grade.

Perhaps Caulfield really did the work days ago, but he’s trying to look cool.

Caulfield should be in an accelerated education program?

Smart kids already complete the homework assignments in their minds?

“Smart kid with bad habits.” Oof, too real. I was always good about finishing my homework and such, and it’s such an easy way to get good grades. What I didn’t really get was good study habits and motivations. That really hurt in college.