8/9/16

My Son Is A Genius. Like, For Real. Genius.

There, I said it. My son is brilliant. Truly, brilliant. I've known my son was a genius for over two years, and barely hinted at it, but I've always been uneasy about talking about it. Partly because, I feel like complaining about my son's brilliance would sound like the worst first world problem, ever. Or, worse, carrying on and on about my perfect brilliant child.




However,  today, I am going to go for it. Because it isn't easy, and has challenges, and some I'm sure all parents are dealing with.

Here's how things sort of unfolded.

9-months old-Walking
11-months climbed out of his crib.
12-months full-on running


His first birthday. Hauling ass down the hall.

At this point, I knew he was strong and imagined him becoming an athlete. Brilliant? Meh.

18 months, climbing, jumping, talking--probably close to 100 words.
2 years talking, climbing jumping off 3ft walls.

By two, I knew he was a great kid, incredibly strong and stubborn.

Two was a hard year. He was into everything. Had opinions and seemed to only want to say the word NO! He was what I imagine all toddlers to be like. Towards the end of two, 30 months old, he wanted to know about the words in the books. He picked up the site words 'The' And' "a" and "I". Also his memory back to things at 18 months old was phenomenal.



At his 3-year well baby check up when he sounded out words in a book for the pediatrician, I got the talk. The pediatrician said he has suspicions that Ollie was going to be a "very special" child very early on, and that his ability to learn is off the charts for his age. I was also told to start looking into schools that cater to "exceptionally bright" children.



At four he reads, some, but gets frustrated and quits. He holds conversations better than some adults I know. He can write his name, both Oliver and Ollie, a few words he knows from site--cat, dog, the, wet--and any words if you tell him the letters. He appears to be trying to teach himself about time, days and how they work on the calendar and simple additions.  I know, because he focuses on certain things until he gets them, and floods me with questions until he has it all figured out.



Which brings me to today. My son is crazy smart. He knows way more than he should for being four. He tests close to 1st grade and needs constant challenges in school. At home, he stays busy creating his own challenges. Which, usually involves me answer, or asking, him questions and playing learning games on his iPad.

He also rides a mini-motorbike because he's already blown through the balance bike, regular bike, and a Razor.




Lately, LEGOs have been a Godsend! He will spend hours building and creating things.



I promise I'm not trying to brag, or really complain, but the fact is, my son is most likely going to be a Mensa kid and it keeps my life very interesting.





So, if you would like to hear more about those challenges, the financial and mental toll it takes on the parents and some of the insanely amazing things my son does, please comment below to let me know to keep going.





April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com

6 comments:

Stephanie said...

I definitely want to hear more. I love your perspective on parenting. Anything you have to say is going to be funny so keep going!

Mrs. Loquacious said...

I don't usually use the term "gifted" though I suspect that Ollie and my DD are both highly intelligent. I've preferred to use the term "asynchronous development" because that is kind of what it is at their age: an intellectual ability and understanding that is advanced relative to their physical/social/emotional development, and a subsequent set of challenges resulting from this mismatch. I'd love to hear more about Ollie's journey! I think his problem-solving skills are off-the-charts and he has such an interesting and fun personality! Keeps ya on your toes! 😜

April McCormick said...

Spot on, Mrs L! After talking with Mensa, I decided to hold off. Yes, Ollie is very bright, however, he's four. WAY to young for a title. I'm focusjng my energy on giving him the best childhood possible. For now, the last year before kindergarten will be focused on fun. thabks for your brilliance and support. I'll certainly talk more about it. ❤️

April McCormick said...

Thank you! I'll keep going, and try to find as much humor as possible in the fact that my son is slightly smarter than me.😂💃

Anonymous said...

I'd love to hear more! I suspect that my 2.5 year old is advanced at the least so reading about your experiences would be helpful to me.

April McCormick said...

I'll certainly talk more about it. It's certainly a wild ride. Especially when they get bored