Aidan...Possible Genius Potential ?

[PrincessFiona]

NOPE....

So...after the true/false thread and reading through the little dooce blog, I decided to start seeing how much I could teach my little 'genius' child. I pulled out the blanket that I made for him when I was pg...It has the alphabet and animals cross-stitched on it into blocks.

I laid it on the floor for him to look at (he loves it) and sang the little alphabet song...I talked about the animals, etc. While I was trying to "teach" him, he stood up on the blanket and began spinning himself around and around until he got dizzy and fell over...and demanded that I wrap him in his 'bankie'. So....I decided to just start with "A".

"Look, Aidan...this is an A....can you say A?"

Response: Aidan started stomping on all of the letters/animals on the blanket.

"Aidan, show mommy the 'A'" (Surely he could at least recognize the A after I had pointed at it 100 times).

Response: He started pulling the threads up in places where I had 'tied' the blanket...."there, there"...stomping, stomping, stomping around the blanket.

Then...he actually took off into the kitchen, came flying into the office and DOVE onto his blanket.

"Mommy, close the door, close the door"...which means wrap him in his blankie.

Oh well.....

kris

[BonBon]

If it's any consolation, that's what it's like at our house too. My friend brought her 19 month old daughter over to our house over the holidays and she too can recite/recognize the alphabet, count to 15, speak full sentences. (I NEVER would have believed it if I hadn't seen it...but she *is* surrounded by older kids at her daycare) The next day, DH tried to teach Gavin 'A & B'.

It didn't go well. They're just geniuses under cover, I guess.

They're just geniuses under cover, I guess.

They don't want to make the other kids feel self-conscious. Personally, I think it's kind.

Great post, Kris!

[PrincessFiona]

Notice that this only got 2 responses too. People probably read the title about Aidan having genius potential and felt too disgusted to read the thread. "That Kris, of course HER kids are geniuses, right"

If I'd posted "is my child borderline retartded" as the subject I bet I would have had 20 responses. :>


Aidan is so funny...I've been trying to drill him all day...."Look, Aidan...that's an A" "Truck, mommy, truck..." as he notices the picture on the page. "Yes, that's a truck...and that's an A, Aidan...an A" "I go bauen" (build blocks).



kris

[Rapunzel]

If I'd posted "is my child borderline retartded" as the subject I bet I would have had 20 responses. :>

OK, Kris, you had me laughing so hard I was snorting like a pig.

Thank heavens I wasn't drinking anything at the time....

Nope, no letter recognition here.

If I'd posted "is my child borderline retartded" as the subject I bet I would have had 20 responses. :>

That or "Aidan used the Dyson today"

[rainbabies]

[houseelf]

or....While Aidan and Sven used the Dyson today, George W. came to the door to sell Trader Joe products at his home sale party next week.


Kelly

[DCJenn]

Kelly wins the prize! I think you covered all of our 'hot button' topics!

Jenn

[SueC]

Jenn, are you trying to get a Dyson conversation going on every thread??

Kris, your "borderline retarded" comment had me cracking up! I've gone through little phases of trying to really teach my kids (not the impromptu stuff that I think happens naturally all the time between parents and kids, but the actual sitting down with a specific objective) and we rarely get anywhere! Mitchell is just content to play with his dinosuars and trucks and could care less about anything academic. He thinks every man that he sees that is either chubby or has facial hair is Santa. Yesterday, he even pointed to a stained glass window that had Jesus on the cross and loudly yelled out (in church) Santa, Santa! I was horrified!

or....While Aidan and Sven used the Dyson today, George W. came to the door to sell Trader Joe products at his home sale party next week.


Kelly

Perfect. A little moment of zen (where the hell is the "om" emoticon??).
Oops - zen over.

[mommax3]

My 3 boys have run the gamut from DEMANDING (and not politely, either) to know everything they didn't understand RIGHT NOW to really not giving a sh... about numbers, letters, or anything else even vaguely approaching kindergarten readiness to pretty much a happy medium between the two extremes, although lately I have been noticing a leaning towards the "demanding" part.

I say let them be kids and let them go with their interests.....they will end up learning what they need to know when they need to know it.

Sally

[Gwendolyn]

or....While Aidan and Sven used the Dyson today, George W. came to the door to sell Trader Joe products at his home sale party next week.


Kelly

What is Mathilde up to? I guess chillin' in her sweet laundryroom/apartment
:clothes:

[PrincessFiona]

This thread cracks me up. I'm loving the Dyson avatar too!

The real truth of the matter here is that kids are different and they develop at such diff. rates with different types of skills. I was so concerned with Andrew (now 11). When he showed math interest at a young age, all I can say is...I went with that and yes..kids can 'learn' to do a lot of things like that at an early age...and no...it did not put him at a real advantage now that he's in school. At the same time, he showed no interest in reading at all until first grade...and then...he took off...he is a fabulous little reader now...he outreads me.

At the same time, he was walking at 9 months...we oohed and aaahed over this....and he is the child who ended up needing physical therapy for coordination/balance as well as special shoe inserts because of foot problems.

You just never know!



In any case...we'll leave the letters for now...

hmmm...maybe..he's interested in numbers :>

kris