Do you think your child is the smartest one out there?!

Desiree - posted on 11/30/2010

I want my kids to best they can be at whatever they choose to do in life. but then again I am a typical mom who is fiercly proud of their acheivements even if it means no body else thinks so. My daughter is 12, can play the violin and recoder and has decided to learn the piano, She is a wizz at maths and reads anything she can get her hands on going through 2 or 3 books in a week. My son struggles with his consentration but if he works with his hands he get through it without having a problem and sometimes even helps dad sort out a particularly difficult building project. So yes i guess i am like all other moms proud and proud to announce it to the world. Thats our privilege.

Hannah - posted on 11/29/2010

My mother always used to tell me "doesn't every crow think their's is the blackest"? Of course mine are, they are the smartest, handsom/prettiest, funniest, outright, you can't touch this shit with a ten foot pole. But, they are mine and I think mine are the blackest.

Kylie - posted on 11/29/2010

My oldest is not the smartest but she definitely the fastest runner, I've seen her out run 10 year olds. Shes always had quite muscly legs and shes got an affinity for anything physical. She does flips and cartwheels and somersaults and is working on her back flips. Shes always jumping and dancing and is good at tennis and swimming.
My son was an early talker, hes 25 months and can count to 5, knows some shapes and colours. Hes really good at climbing and keeping up with his sister. He quite patient and neat. Like he always puts away a puzzle before he gets the next one out and he puts the lid back on the texta before he gets another colour. I'm not sure where he gets that from though because his sister and myself are pretty chaotic and messy.

Jaime - posted on 11/29/2010

My son is on track...he's learning and exploring at his age level and that makes us both happy. I don't worry too much about all the reading programs and learning toys because I personally find most of them to be a waste of money. I made up a counting game out of a tim hortons coffee tray and he played with that ten time longer than he has played with any counting toys. I just go with the flow and take his cue as to when he's ready for the next step. I encourage him to learn, but I don't push him beyond his means...it's not worth it. He's as smart as he should be right now.

Tara - posted on 11/29/2010

All my kids excel in some area or another, but it doesn't mean they are the smartest out there.
I have one who is very academically intelligent in all subjects, learning is simply very easy for him. He did everything super early; walked at 7 months 3 weeks old, talked a blue streak by 18 months, could ride a two wheeler at 3 etc. etc.
But.... he is a know it all. He has a bit of a superiority complex. And so he has a handful of good friends who he hangs with and his co workers etc. he can rub people the wrong way.
I have one who is a natural actress, she is beautiful inside and out. She has a great singing voice and natural sense of rhythm. But she can be very stubborn and obstinate.
I have another who is a gifted writer and orator. But he can be so sluggish when learning new things. He is also a slob. :)
All my kids are great at some things and not so great at other things. That is what makes them all unique. Cut from the same cloth but stitched with different coloured thread. :)
I know parents whose children can do no harm and are the best at everything. We all get bored listening to them talk about their perfect children, I tend to take a sarcastic route with them, using comment such as:
"Geez I wish my kids were as smart as your kids. Wanna trade?"
I tend to find them boring and I"m sure they secretly cry at night wondering why they can't have normal kids who act up and lie sometimes. :P

Sarah - posted on 11/29/2010

Oh yes, my kid is BY FAR the smartest one out there. No doubt about that. He's 14 months old & absolutely fluent in Jibberish. He also knows a few words in English like "mama" & "dada." :D

He rolled over kinda late...around 5.5 to 6 months, crawled at almost 8 months, and walked a few days before he turned 1. Oh and you should see him dance. He can really get down. He's so sweet & thoughtful, because when he's done eating his lunch he throws it to the hungry dog...he has wonderful aim. He can turn the t.v. off & on...that's a bit annoying at times. Gosh, there's so many other things that he's skilled at, I just don't have the time to list them all!

Jackie - posted on 11/29/2010

@ Kati - Is your father color blind? Typically, color blindness is prominent in boys but females carry the gene and it skips a generation. So if your father is color blind, you could carry the gene and pass it to your son. My Dad is color blind (and it always fascinates me) so if I have a boy, he could be too, but my brother isn't. ramble over :)



Allison is almost 22 months. She hit all of her mile stones on time. She walked at 12 months but has always been a talker. She's speaking in complete sentences now although sometimes, if you're not around her all the time, it's hard to understand. She knows her ABC's and can count to ten all by herself although I don't think she can identify letters yet. She's pretty good with colors but not great yet. We're working on it. She does amaze me sometimes with the things she knows. She speaks better than her 2 1/2 yo cousin

Doreen - posted on 11/29/2010

I have three children and they are completely different... the twins are even worse. I do think they the smartest and most beautiful, but I am also aware that I am looking at them through my rosy Mom goggles. So if my "most handsome" son's nose sat where his ear was it would still be love at first sight. LOL the truth is if you love someone they are beautiful to you no matter what. I try everyday to love and treat them like I would have wanted my mom to love and treat me... even if I am stupidly flawed. Concentrate on the good and work on the not so good. So to be that for them... I just have to believe they are the CHEESE!!!

Toni - posted on 11/29/2010

Ethan at his last development check was advanced on all aspects except talking where he was average.

He walked early, he was spoon feeding himself at 7 months, and when we show him new things such as sorting shapes he watches us once then he copies us and knows how to do it.

He is slower on his speaking, he can say about 10 words but generally says daddy/ dadda/ dadam/adam etc and grandad and if he really wants my attention mommy/ mom. It doesn't concern me the way I see it is when a baby is focusing on learning one skill they cannot learn another, I am more than happy for him to learn things at his own pace, if that means he doesn't start talking properly until he's 2 then so be it.

My son is a complete social butterfly, he loves meeting new people and immediately goes over to say hello to new kids he sees, and has a good look at any adults he sees. He is so interested in people and what they are doing,

I just want him to be happy not the smartest kid in school, he has his weaknesses and his strengths, we will work on all of them to make him the happiest kid ever that is what I want for my son!

Jakki - posted on 11/29/2010

Ha! I confess that I hoped I'd have really smart kids who would amaze me with their insightful comments, amazing wit and incredible talent... but I have three lovely, wacky kids who are... in the average range for everything! Sometimes my kids want to think they are "the best" at something, because that's what society seems to call for, but the fact is they're not the best at any one thing, although they can be pretty good at it. It's a hard lesson but on the other hand, being the best at something doesn't mean you're any happier, so who cares!

LaCi - posted on 11/29/2010

I think he may be the largest one out there lol

Smartest... dunno yet. Ask me in a few years.

Johnny - posted on 11/28/2010

Absolutely Erin. There is a big difference between genius and bright. I think most of us would like our kids to be smart/bright at least in one aspect. It tends to make life easier. Genius, not so much. There are many unsuccessful geniuses for good reason. Brains are not everything, and if it is all you've got, things might not be too easy. Some people find a way to make it work, but it always looks like a struggle.

Erin - posted on 11/28/2010

I just wanted to elaborate on Carol's point about smart kids being socially awkward. Based on my experience in a G & T high school, the super smart (I'm talking top 0.2% smart) were nearly all social outcasts. They couldn't relate to peers and challenged teachers, so the teachers weren't that keen on them either. There's a big difference between being brighter than most, and off-the-charts smart. I fell into the first category during my schooling and had an awesome time with friends and sport, as well as study. But I would never have wished to be in the second group, and I certainly don't wish for my daughter to.

Shana - posted on 11/28/2010

I think my daughter used to be a dinosaur. She rawrs, bits, stomps, screams, scratches and glares at people and finds it funny. But smart? I wouldn't think so. Lol. Compared to me anyway :P I was a smart baby lol.

Sharon - posted on 11/27/2010

Meh.

♏*PHOENIX*♏ - posted on 11/27/2010

I have two boys…and one of only 8mos and is not advanced in anyway…he’s average :-)



My son who will be 8 years old in four months is average in school..he does good in all areas…except talking…the boy talks to MUCH.



I will say My son is Thee strongest kid I know!

At 8, where most boys don’t have any muscle definition he does….he is very strong for his age, and has been commented on who well defined his muscles are…Actually I would even say he could compare to a 9, 10 year old…in strength)



As a matter of fact he placed 1st in wrestling today…. he went up against kids in his age group, but some of them had been wrestling up to 3years, yet he still whooped that behind!!



~Im so proud of him~



Overall every kid excel better in some areas then others…some are book smart, others are good with there hands, or like my son good with there strength!

Erin - posted on 11/27/2010

Milla has been quick to do everything, and everyone agrees she is, and has always been, advanced. Does that mean she is the next member of Mensa? Not necessarily, and nor do I want that for her. I was the 'smart kid'. I was in G & T programs from early on and went to an academically selective high school. It was pressure I just don't want for my child. I am constantly telling family members to stop labelling her - she's not even 2!!! I want her to develop without those expectations.

Anyway, yes I do believe Milla is ahead of the game. I was too at that age. But I am well aware of her faults or struggles too. For example, she is too impatient to sit and complete a puzzle or shape sorter. She knows exactly where they all go, but if it doesn't go in first go she either tells me to put them in place, or throws it and moves on to something else.

Sal - posted on 11/27/2010

if i managed to get all 3 of mine rolled into one super kid then i'd have to smartest....lol..one walked at 7 months, one was toilet trained by 14 months (no night nappies before 18) and one was so great at words that the preschool teacher wouldn't read the dinosaur book with out him there to say all the names for her....but as 3 kids they are wonderfully funny, loving and normal, wonderfully happy and just right....(excpet the teenager who is doing his best to play dumb at the moment but thats a whole other thread)

Rosie - posted on 11/27/2010

i'm really starting to think he is. no matter how hard i work on it, he just pulls a color out of his ass every time. what color is your shirt lucas? green. no, it's red. now what color is my shirt (which is red) ummmmm, orange? the kid has no clue. i would think something would catch on by now. i don't know how they can test for that at such a young age. although i'm sure they could... i should go look it up.

Teresa - posted on 11/27/2010

My son can count into the 'teens' but needs help getting from 4 to 5. If you aren't counting w/ him... he skips from 4 to 9. ;) The girls, at 3, could actually count to 100 (w/ minimal help), but would ALWAYS forget 14 and 16..... odd.

Isobel - posted on 11/27/2010

Kati, maybe he's colour-blind...I think I remember reading somewhere that almost half of males are.

Nichole - posted on 11/27/2010

My son learned to walk by 9 months. He is 14 months now, and says 20-30 ish words. When he don't know how to say what he wants he gestures or finds another way to communicate his wants/needs. You only have to show him how to do something once or twice and he'll eagerly try to do it just like you. He's not smarter than EVERY other kid, but I do think he's intelligent and I am VERY proud of him. He can't count but he tries. I'll count things, and he tries to copy me. He'll hold up his fingers & say "one". He just calls ALL the numbers "one" right now. So he "counts" like this "one, one, one, one". LOL. But he's learning.

Rosie - posted on 11/27/2010

we all have geniuses!! LMAO!!

Teresa - posted on 11/27/2010

All 3 of my kids crawled before they walked, but they all walked early too. The girls talked fairly well at a youngish age (can't remember). My son talks ALL the time... in paragraphs, but can't pronounce about half the letters in the alphabet (at least putting them in words), so he's extremely difficult to understand. The girls definitely read and showed math skills early and have always been at or near the tops of their classes, but I'm not naive enough to think that they are the best out there. They are happy (when they aren't in trouble), healthy, and doing their best and that's all that matters. :)

Liz - posted on 11/27/2010

A friend of mine just had her first baby, he's 4 1/2 months, and she is pushing every area. He is so close to crawling it will probably happen any day, he also pulls himself up in his crib. She asked me why I'm not working with Ethan because he's 6 weeks older and I simply said "You spend the first year teaching them to walk and talk and the rest of your life telling them to sit down and be quiet. Why rush it?" She looked at me like I was crazy. He rolls and army crawls everywhere anyways, so I get to try and baby proof what I can this weekend:\

Sapphire - posted on 11/27/2010

I admit, my son is quite bright academically. His thinking process blows me away sometimes in the way he seems to problem solve and get the right answer. He's inquisitive and sometimes the annoying "know-it-all" kid. Hmmm, must be "only child" syndrome!! (Just kidding!) He met his milestones on the later end of the average spectrum. Is he a gifted learner? Perhaps. Or maybe not. I do see signs of higher IQ in some areas. But I am also biased as a teacher who worked exclusively with gifted learners for 4 years. I did my master's thesis in Gifted Curriculum, ran the Gifted program between 5 elementary & 1 middle school, and tested students every year on the Cogntive Abilities Test. When I compare some former students to my son, I do see a lot of academic and higher level thinking similarities. But, I have no desire to get him tested at this point. Yeah, he's smart. But he's also a typical 5 1/2 year old who sometimes tantrums when he doesn;t get his way, or can be sneaky. I also agree 100% about students/adults with very high IQs being socially awkward. It's called asynchronous development, where the intellectual age does not match with the chronological age. For some kids, it makes childhood lonely and friendless becasue they relate so much better with older kids/adults. Now I also admit that at my son's parent/teacher conference, his Kinder teacher (who is a veteran teacher of 26 years) commented to me that he IS the student who masters every new task quickly and advances on his own pace. She commented that my son may benefit from going into the 1st grade classroom for reading and math. I have my reservations about that because I still want my son to experience Kinder with his class. But I also don't want my son to become teh class troublemaker because he is bored, or not learning new stuff while waiting for the rest of the class to catch up.

JuLeah - posted on 11/27/2010

I want my daughter to be happy.
Walking early, talking early even is not always a sign of a high IQ - folks that are really really smart are almost never soical butterflies. Folks with a very high IQ, often don't have any friends at all.
All of us have special gifts and talents. Finding them and using them for the good of the world is the goal, I believe.
I am glad so many parents think their kid is smart. I know one father to brags about his child's ability to be a good friend. She shares, she cares, she smiles at the new kid, she includes the shy kid .... I love that this father sees this behavior as something to brag about.

Amanda - posted on 11/27/2010

My middle daughter didn't walk until she was almost 18mnths! I feel better knowing that she might have better fine motor skills! :) Ahhh***Breath of relief! You're guys posts are awesome!!!!

Rosie - posted on 11/27/2010

ahhh, well grant my eldest has always been SUPER smart bookwise. but when it comes to applying those things to real life, or actually understanding what he just read it doesn't click. he started to read ON HIS OWN when he was 4. all of a sudden one day he just started reading road signs to me.
my middle boy vincent is very smart as well. just not overall as well tested as grant is. vinnie has 6 people in his class that scored better on their DIBELS test. he's doing VERY well for kindergarten, and i am very proud of him. the thing that makes me proud of him is he applies his knowledge to everyday things, and USES it, instead of knowing it and not using it. so while he still may not have started reading on his own at age 4, he is doing very well.
lucas my 3 year old is behind in a lot of thing. he can't talk well yet, he can't do colors to save his life, and he has a hard time with shapes. he can count to ten forwards and backwards though! lol! i think he may be color blind (he has bad eyes, already had surgery on them), i'm not too horribly worried yet, we've started taking him to speech therapy, and maybe the shapes and colors thing will happen soon. meh. he's still the cutest damn kid out there, lol!

Bonnie - posted on 11/27/2010

Just because one child does everything earlier than the average does not make that child any better than another. Some children just take longer.

Bonnie - posted on 11/27/2010

I wouldn't say that my boys are the smartest or the best out there at everything they do. They are special to my me and my husband because they are ours and that is all that matters.

ME - posted on 11/27/2010

I think that my son is smart. He has a huge vocabulary for a two 1/2 year old. Knows multiple words for the same idea, and all his colors, numbers up to ten, and 2/3 of the alphabet by sight...but, I don't think he's a genius or anything....He struggles VERY much with potty training, and we're not even close yet...What I do think he might excel at is physical stuff. He can pitch a strike overhand from 15-20 feet away, so hard that my husband and I can't always hit it. He can also hit the ball (when it's pitched to him underhand) with a regulation sized bat. We plan on putting him in a baseball program at our local community center as soon as he turns three! Mayah is too small to know. She seems to be behind in some of her early markers...but she's only 9 months, and all babies are different...

Dana - posted on 11/27/2010

I think my son is smart, funny and all around wonderful, I don't think he's exceptionally smarter than any other kid.
I can't imagine going through life comparing or competing with what my child can do vs other children, I'm just enjoying motherhood with my young babe.

Tah - posted on 11/27/2010

I think that my 13 year old is extremely bright. He wants to be a theoretical physicist when he grows, up. If you sit down and talk to him about well almost anything you would think you were talking to an adult, he gets relatively good grades,honor roll sometimes, unless he gets lazy that term. he has always read at least 2 grade levels above his grade and has been tested numerous times. I don't know that he is the brightest, but he certainly isn't the dullest crayon in the box. He researches and reads books about history, religion, slavery of all races etc...because he wants to. He also loves a good conspiracy theory and reads books like "behold a pale horse". He questions everything and makes me have to research things myself.



My 8 year old is a honor roll student as well, she is so sweet and is a nurturer. Sometimes i feel like i have to kinda encourage her common sense, if that makes any sense. She also reads on a grade 4 month 7 level and is in 3rd grade.



Rylan is bright, he will be 4 next month, he says things that make me wonder sometimes, where did he get that from, or how does he know that. My children weren't walking at 3 months or reading at 5 months like some kids, they were probably on time and my daughter may have been a tiny bit early, but not anything to make a tee shirt about. Someone told me that my kids being on honor roll meant that they were great at being brainwashed. I know every mother thinks their kids are the best, we are after all their biggest fans...

Krista - posted on 11/27/2010

I'm certainly not going to pretend that my 15-month old is some sort of super-genius. But I think he's a pretty bright kid. He still doesn't talk much, but some of the things that he does show clearly that he's a pretty quick thinker. His latest thing is that when I go to print something off on our printer, he runs hell-bent-for-leather from whereever he is, grabs the paper off the printer, hands it to me, says, "There!" and applauds himself.

I don't know, maybe that's not particularly smart, but I think it's kind of impressive.

Stifler's - posted on 11/27/2010

Eh. We all think our kids are the best. But I'm not that naive to think that there's no other kid doing the exact same things out there.

Cathy - posted on 11/27/2010

NO!!!

They both have their own gifts where they are more advanced than many other children in their age groups.

Rhys has autism, so he excels in things like computers and music but was delayed in developing speech and social skills. He was walking confidently at 12 months old but has pretty poor motor skills.

Lucas was late crawling, but once he learnt was away. He was late walking (16 months) because crawling was quicker. He's late talking. Only starting to talk a little now at 22months. He does however have really good hand, eye, and foot coordination and his fine motor skills are very impressive.

Sarah - posted on 11/27/2010

I don't think my kids are the smartest ones ever, but I definitely think they're smart!!

They both hit all the milestones at around the "right" time, some early, some a bit later.



On the crawling thing.........neither of my girls crawled at all really! Cadence did a weird "commando crawl" and then just stood up and walked. Shia never crawled at all, she shuffled around on her bum until she started walking.



They both started talking quite early, and once they started, they have never stopped!! Shia is 2yrs and you she can say pretty much everything and hold a reasonable conversation! lol.



Cadence is 6yrs, she could count and say the alphabet and write her name before she started school. She's better than me at Maths (but then my youngest is probably better than me too!! hahaha) and she's one of the top readers in her class. So she's doing really well. She's definitely smart.

She's not a very mature 6yr old though, she tends to cry and sulk and have tantrums etc. So she can be hard work!!



They're not geniuses........but I think I'll keep them! ;)

Shannen - posted on 11/26/2010

Hahaha My daughter took her first steps at 7 months. My son at 10. All 3 seem to physically quicker than 'normal'.

My daughter toilet trained at 20 months my son is now 28 months and almost there. I did push my daughter but thats because i didn't know any better where as my son is doing all on his own.

At 2 yrs my daughter could dress herself but my son can't even take a shirt off yet.

All of my children are brilliant but thats because i am biased.

Becky - posted on 11/26/2010

Interesting about the crawling. I had heard that children who skip crawling are more likely to have difficulty with reading - something about the tracking left to right - but I didn't know about the fine motor skills. Makes sense though. My nephew didn't walk until 19 months, and he has awesome fine motor skills! He was drawing circles and triangles by age 3, and is doing jigsaw puzzles meant for kids twice his age without help. Zach isn't walking yet at almost 15 months, so maybe he'll be my artistic one. :) I have always said I think he's going to be the more methodical, detail-oriented one.
My kids are perfect little genius angels. Which is why I couldn't wait to tuck them into bed tonight, lol!
No, I recognize that they have strengths and weaknesses, and that their personalities are still developing and they're always learning.
Cole has been pretty "by the book" developmentally. He met all his milestones right at the "average" age. I haven't had him assessed, but I am pretty sure he's above average in speech. He talks better than some 4 olds I've met, and constantly amazes me with the words and phrases he uses correctly. (He's 33 months) He uses male and female pronouns correctly, possessive pronouns, plurals... And he's hilarious! He has a very vivid imagination too, and an excellent memory. He amazes me with the things he remembers! But then he can't remember where he put his cars 2 minutes ago! haha! I do think he's going to do very well in school, as long as he works at it, but at his age, it's hard to say. But, he's also stubborn and has a temper. And the whining, oh, please save me from the whining!! And although we're working on it, he's not potty trained yet.
Zach isn't walking yet, but he crawled early. He's not really talking yet, but he's trying. He's started making animal sounds and it's adorable! Did you know cows say "boo"? :) But he's so young still, it's hard to say how "smart" he's going to be.
But it really doesn't matter. While I excelled in school and do feel education is very important, my love for and pride in my children is not going to be determined by their academic abilities, athletic achievements, or anything of that sort.

Johnny - posted on 11/26/2010

LOL, when people asked me, "she's STILL not walking?" at 13 months, I just started telling them that she could but we didn't allow her to, we wanted her to have better developed fine motor skills. That usually ended the conversation fast.

A couple that we know, their son didn't start walking until he was 21 months. They were panicked and took him to all sorts of specialists who could find nothing wrong. One day, out of the blue, he just stood up and walked up the stairs. I'm pretty sure he was just lazy.

Isobel - posted on 11/26/2010

she IS pretty smart ;)

Charlie - posted on 11/26/2010

Sara I would say it has a great deal to do with how she developed her fine motor skills :)

It was actually my midwife who made me aware of this ad even though Cooper crawled and cruised the furniture early he didnt walk until much later so everytime someone fed me the " oh he's still not walking " I would tell them just what my midwife said and that I wasnt worried .

Jenny - posted on 11/26/2010

I wish I'd known all this when people would say, "She's STILL not walking?"

That used to drive me nuts. I always said in a few months I'm going to wish for the days when this kid couldn't move. I'm enjoying it while it lasts!

Good Day! - posted on 11/26/2010

I'm learning so much. So her crawling for FOREVER is possibly the reason she's got great fine motor skills? I'm starting to feel like super mom. =) I wish I'd known all this when people would say, "She's STILL not walking?"

Liz - posted on 11/26/2010

My kids take the bank on this one. My oldest who's 7 struggles in school with behavior but is off the charts when she does the work and she doesn't even have to try. My 5 year old is a model student, that is her teachers exact words, she reads better then most 1st graders and shes only in K. My 4 years old, now he may lack in academics but hes only just beginning school.

Charlie - posted on 11/26/2010

Laura it has been shown the longer a child crawls the better their hand eye co-ordination which has a great affect on their brain development so I would agree whole heartedly with your MIL.

Good Day! - posted on 11/26/2010

Laura, if that is the case, Eliza just might be a genius. She didn't walk until she was 15 months old, and even then she preferred crawling.

Jenny - posted on 11/26/2010

As soon as we close the publishing deal Sara =)

Isobel - posted on 11/26/2010

my MIL claims that crawling activates more brainwaves than walking...so we should all wish that our children walk late...maybe she's right ;)