Originally Posted by Indoorvoice:
Is so weirdweird! My husband was traveling for work and the guy next to him on the plane was bragging to him that his 4 year old was doing algebra and could read whole books. He asked my husband if our kids had any special talents and my husband said "nope, they're just NORMAL kids." My husband said the guy looked at him with a sympathetic look. No one is happy with normal anymore! I see it in my circle of friends. We all have 1-5 year olds. They are always carting their kids to all these special classes and sport practices and the kids have ZERO downtime. It's all so the parents can tell us, "Tommy can read chapter books in kindergarten!" It's ALL for the parents. I refuse to play into that game.
Last year I had a boy in my care who was older 3 (turned 4 in February) Mom told me he could read, knew all his numbers, etc which he did...BUUUT, he didn't make eye contact, engage in cooperative peer play, have age appropriate self help skills (he was asked to slip on shoes and would spin in circles on the floor crying) He was more work than an of the other kids his age in my care.
So um yeah, that's great he can read...
In fact most of the kids I've had in care who were "academically advanced" had significant issues in other areas. Rarely have I witnessed the total "genius" package
