Brag Away....

Stephanie - posted on 09/07/2010

To Lauryan: My oldest son started out "reading" books to us around his 2nd birthday as well. He already recognized certain words on site by the time he was about 18 months (starting with his name), but around 2 was when he could tell us the entire story from a book we had only read once or twice. By the time he was in 2nd grade, he was reading on a high school level with perfect comprehension. It sounds like your little one is on the same road! Keep reading to him as often as you can. My son LOVES to read and he will read anything he can get his hands on. My two younger children are right behind him, too. I often have a hard time finding books that are challenging yet appropriate! I have made friends with the school librarian, several librarians at the local library, and many people who work in local book stores! They have all been a great resource in finding books. Good luck to you and your little reader!

Melissa - posted on 08/27/2010

my youngest daughter is now a teenager in a two year old's body! Yesterday, we were sitting on the patio and she pulls a chair to the ledge and climbs up and over. I said, "now miss lady, get down from there, you could get hurt" she turns to me,(still at the ledge) points her finger at me, squints her eyes at me and YELLED at me!! like I was in the wrong!! I tell her,"don't you yell at me! I'm the mom your the child" Then more yelling from her but in gibberish. I'm worried what the REAL teenage years are gonna be like!! lol

Carla - posted on 05/09/2009

Yea, My turn, I brag about my little girl at work but feel a little bad for it because the people at work, I've learned along the way have had delays themselves and their children too so not such a good crowd to say Hey, look at how smart my baby is right? So, I don't know if my 3 yr old little girl would be considered "gifted" but I know she is well above her peers' abilities. I live in an extremely small town of 1500 people and have asked about programs to get her involved in or at least information for me to work with her at home. I asked the Parents as Teachers and she said we have nothing available here. I really don't know what all she is capable of doing, she always surprises me with her abilities. Some of the things I've noticed is everyone that comes our way makes comments about how articulate her speach is at such a young age. Also, I did a wooden puzzle with her 2 times of the 50 states of america and sat it in front of her for breakfast one morning at the age of two. She completed it by herself and had even remembered some of the names of the states by the color coordination of the pieces. I know this puzzle is probably for around 4-5 yr olds. The PAT lady came by and tested her at age 2 and she was was at a 4 yr old level in all areas then and I believe she could have went higher but the teacher didn't pursue it. My little girl is Brianna and she turned 3 in Jan. She has known all her colors and shapes since she was around 1 1/2. Now she also has letter recognition of all the alphabet and is writing them. She always surprised me, I asked her one day to write her name. She drew a straight line and drew the letters of her name from the line upwards so that they were all on the line in perfect order and was done extremely well. I know that I used to work with children in daycare at the age of 4/5 we worked with children on their name and she has it down pat at 3. So I tried patterns with her and she understood that as well. I noticed the last time PAT came in she tested her for preschool (age 4) and she passed all of the criteria yet she's not old enough to be allowed in preschool. Brianna could have done even a higher level but PAT didn't pursue it. I know this because Brianna seen a game in the bag and asked to do it, PAT said no that's for older kids and Brianna insisted so PAT asked her the questions and she answered them correct. I would like to see just have far ahead she really is. Also, I find it a challenge within myself as I do not want to put things to hard for her because I don't want her to feel badly if she can't do it. But at the same time I don't want to waste the opportunity to teach her things when she's like a sponge and learns so quickly and easily. She is doing preschool and kidergaren activity work books and plays games of the computer and leapster that are for ages 5-8 yrs. She was a preemie on top of it all born at 33 wks so I'm so pleased that she is doing so well and it's going to come so easy for her. Thanks for letting me brag and if anyone has any suggestion for Brianna's continued success please let me know.. thanks so much.

Deborah - posted on 05/09/2009

Zoe ... great post! I really do hope the scores open the door a little wider for you and your daughter. Got to love the 'pushy' mom comments. It just can't be possible that you speak the truth. grrrrr. Have my fingers crossed for you that the school starts to do more.

Lisa, my daughter is forever saying patience is a virtue but I know where she got it from. LOL We taught that to her a long time ago when she would get frustrated and for some reason that little catch phrase calms her down instantly. As for where she got it ... they are little sponges. Stuff that you don't really pay attention to is fascinating to them. Could be from TV or just hearing someone else say it. The funny thing about gifted kids (not all but a lot) is they tend to learn things in phrases not just words. Tis why they can recite a book that was just read to them. My daughter does that little trick all the time. And if you want the other side of the story ... I am always laughing at my daughter and asking where did you come from? ... Who were you before you entered into this world as ms. katelyn? LOL

Lisa - posted on 05/06/2009

So my daugther is 3 years old and has been able to talk since she tunred 1 and every word is very clear. before that she she learned sign language. Everyday is something new with her. One day i was stressing out and i said i need paitence and she looked at me and goes " paitence is a virtue, posses it if you can, seldom found in a woman, and never in a man" and i just busted out laughing and said "you are so right!"



then just today i gave her some chicken soup and she said "can i have an ice cube to cool my soup down?" and i said "its already cool enough if you put an ice cube in it it will be too cold" and she goes " you know what mommy, you are right as rain!" i have no idea where she gets this stuff because no one tells her this stuff, its like it comes out of thin air! Everyday is something new. she tells me all the time who is on the dollar bill and who is on the 20 dollar bill and what they did, she knows words in spanish, chinese, and german (and sign language) and i know where she learned that.



we went to the doctors one day and she was looking at all the instruments and started telling the doctor what each one was....and im not trying to totally brag about my child but i am just amazed at the things she knows and stumped as to where she learns this stuff!

Zoe - posted on 05/04/2009

Something I can only post here.... my daughter just got her AR Star test back and it placed her reading ability at "4.7:: fourth grade, seventh month".
She has a late Sept birthday and last year I got some raised eyebrows about starting her in kindergarten when in some states they don't let the parents to use their own judgment. In first grade she continues to perform with the top of the class, but even this surprised her teacher. I get so tired of people questioning if she is too young for first grade!
Perhaps the teacher will consider my concerns that my daughter is bored (and the lack of challenge is what starts the focus issues)

My daughter says it's the "best day of her life" because it lets her check out a lot more books at the school library. (She didn't like being denied the right to check out a book because it was above her grade level.) I hope this continues to open more doors for her! Our state doesn't do gifted testing until the end of 2nd grade, so milestones like this help start conversations with teachers in a sane (not pushy parent) way.

Lauryan - posted on 05/03/2009

I have another brag...



Aiden seems to know his left from his right. The other day he directed me from our house to the store we were going to and he got every turn correct!



:D Apaprently it's quite a big thing for a 2 year old to know ;)



i'm just so chuffed with him for learning this somehow without being actually taught it.

Lauryan - posted on 04/25/2009

congrats Sally - those are fantastic achievements indeed and definitely something to be proud of! :D

Shelly - posted on 04/25/2009

My daughter is 14 and in 9th grade we went last week to do her classes for next year and they gave us her class ranking as of now, she is 2nd in a class of 200! we were so tickled! She also made flag corp (color guard). She has a 4.5 gpa as of now.

Lauryan - posted on 04/23/2009

wow Chris that really IS an awesome achievement indeed! Congrats to him (and you!)

Chris - posted on 04/22/2009

My son got a perfect score on the CRCT last year when he was in the 2nd grade. The principal gave him a plaque at the honors ceremony and he was in the newspaper. At that time, he was the onlu child in the county school system and the city school system to do this!! i was and still am very proud of him.

Lauryan - posted on 04/22/2009

thanks deborah! :D *beams*

Deborah - posted on 04/22/2009

I really think that kids sense things from their parents and you are probably right Lauryan... Aiden probably senses that you are not tightening up and it makes him more willing to open up. So exciting for both of you.

Lauryan - posted on 04/21/2009

I have a brag to share. well it's actually more like a proud moment...



Yesterday we went to feed the ducks at a lake nearby. And afterwards we went to play on the jungle gym. There was another family there with a child of 3 and a 1 year old.



Usually Aiden clams up around strangers and won't say anything, but as he was climbing the wrong way UP the slide (don't ask) this other mom asked if she could help him (I was busy with baby), and he very politely told her no thank you I can do it myself. So she asked me how old he was and before I could answer he said to her "I'm 2". Then he was going to slide down but her daughter was in the way. So he said "excuse me girl, please move out the way so I can slide now - it's my turn". And then when the mom asked if she should help him he said again "noo thank you I'mnot a baby" She then very patronisingly asked if he was going to slide very fast like the big boys do and he said "no, I am going to go slowly so that I don't fall and hurt myself"



and then the real fun began - he starts telling her all the colours on the slide - look here are the green handles, and the sides are blue and so on.



haha - she asked me 3 times if he was only 2 and then just said wow he speaks really well for a 2 year old.



I was so proud of him for having the courage to show his abilities in public. I think some of it has to do with the fact that I have stopped trying to downplay and hide his abilities.



anyways just wanted to share it with you all :D

Lauryan - posted on 04/21/2009

wow Kathy that really IS brag worthy indeed :D fabulous news!!

Kathy - posted on 04/14/2009

I so wish i had found this Group before now! My son turns 13 this year and for years I have only been sharing his "major" accomplishments with a select few people. I have had numerous reasons to brag over the years for the big and little things with no place to go. My sister is the best place for me to go and doesn't give me "the look". I have had all kids of comments from the few people I do tell things from "I never wanted a genius" to "aren't your expectations a little high" and "oh, that's nice".My latest brag....Nick placed first in the city wide Science Fair, the highest you can go!

Janet - posted on 04/09/2009

Funny thing about the potty training. Both of my kids made the decision when to do it. When my son was 4 we moved from a townhouse our current, brand new SFH. The day we moved in, he took off his diapers and went to the potty on his own and said, "I'm gonna use the potty now because I don't want to mess up the new house." My daughter, who is in the gifted program at school, told us that she wasn't going to use the potty until her 4th birthday because that's when her brother stopped. What d'ya know, on her birthday she also took off her diapers and never looked back. My husband and I laugh when people ask us how did we potty train our kids, they trained themselves and made the conscious decision to do it. We had no clue and, to this day, still don't know how to potty train a child. Cassandra also started reading by herself by looking at books and memorizing words that we had pointed to during storytime. She would read 2-3 of the same books regularly and then move on to the next book to memorize. If she didn't know the word, she'd make it up, i never corrected her, sometimes the words were really silly that I had to laugh but she kept reading. Lately she's been reading and changing the tone of her voice to add more to the story, it's hilarious to hear her do this at the age of 7 but she recalls her preschool teacher doing it.

Deborah - posted on 04/08/2009

I love that 92 went for a ride with him. So cute!

BTW, a friend of mine told me about an add on for firefox (if you use that browser) called Kidzui. It contains them to only kid approved sites and logs their activities of where they went. I haven't added it to the computer Ms. K uses as of yet b/c I don't leave her in the room by herself so I monitor her. But there might be a time when she really starts to explore the browser and I might need to add it on.

And the funny thing is I was shocked at her abilities too. Up to last month we just made assumptions that she can't and would do it for her. It was not until she put her foot down and told us she could do it on her own that I realized she could. This of course made me ponder exactly when she really was able to do a lot of it.

Rebekah - posted on 04/08/2009

Yes, the fact that he's mostly fun compensates for all the messes I have to clean up. It's funny that you mention the imaginary friends, because he has just started doing that too. The other day I think 92 was in the back seat of the car with him. He's been doing the computer for a while too, but I had always put it to the website he wanted and got it all set up for him. I didn't know he knew how to open the browser and go to the right bookmark, although I don't know why anything surprises me.

Deborah - posted on 04/08/2009

I love that Henry's game still involves the important numbers. I could just see down the path he will have some imaginary friends and he will have so many to pick from: 14, 3, 10005... the list goes on. Could you imagine? 'Mom! you just sat on 33.' LOL

Ms K is not so involved in numbers here lately. She is more so in the ABCs. It is shocking how quickly they figure out the computers. She has been able to maneuver through the computer for about a month now in the same way you described for Henry. She loves starfall.com and pbskids.org. I hardly every have to help her anymore. She even knows how to load her games in the CD rom and some of the function keys on the keyboard. They are so much fun at this age!

Rebekah - posted on 04/08/2009

My mom laughed when I told her this, but I was kind of excited: Henry has decided to start playing with toys. He previously would only do puzzles and spell words with his letter blocks or carry around number magnets. He has lately gotten into building things with Legos, blocks, pretend cooking and building forts. It's funny because he'll cook something like "number soup" or build a house for the numbers and then make up stories about what they're doing "the numbers are playing outside and 14 fell down, but she's okay".



Also found out yesterday that he could open his own websites (they're bookmarked) on the computer and play all the games and videos without help. (I came in from the other room to find him on the Sesame website!) He also decided to assert his independence this morning by getting himself a glass of chocolate milk (glass, milk, choc syrup and a straw!) with only a minor spill. Of course we have many frustrations about things he thinks he should be able to do but can't. The other day he gave me a list of things he'll be able to do when he's 14!

Ellen - posted on 04/02/2009

Sorry guys it took so long to get back. Z's project has gotten huge - he coordinated a benefit yard sale and then told us about it ;) Here's the FB link http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group... BTW - he's almost at $300!

I love reading everyone's brags! Poop in the potty is such a huge thing. For some of these guys it's about control. I remember thinking Z would never learn to use the potty, but he was so OCD that the daycare director said put him in underware and he'll do it. Never an accident.

I certianly understand the ecxitement about the perfect scores! Z got one wrong on a profile this year and I started teasing him about it. He wanted toknow which one so he could go correct it. I had to explain that it's normal to miss questions ;)

Ladies keep the brags coming!

Morag - posted on 04/01/2009

Phoebe: Never did you realise before you had children how proud you would be of any other human doing poopy! lol. I remember how estatic I was when Tia did it first time. I know I will be just as chuffed when lil miss works it out! Well done Ivan!!!

Deborah: My eldest Tia just wouldn't be trained. We just had to let her be and it just clicked with her one day. Within 2 weeks she was dry day and night. This time round I'm not training. :) I'm letting lil miss lead the way. Last time was awful. Don't worry she will get it. I thought Tia would never catch on and even thought that she might have a medical problem, but she just wasn't ready.

My current brag is that Lil miss can count to 3!!! I can't believe it. Only in Spanish though. I counted to her in English and she looked at me like "What on earth are you saying woman! Its uno dos tres, what is this one two three nonsense you keep talking about!" My eldest can only count in Spanish too even though her mother tongue is English. Apparently the language you learn to count in will always be the language you will use to count in the easiest so we have decided to stick to Spanish as that's what she will be using at school. It seems like she is learning new things every day.

Deborah - posted on 03/30/2009

Julie ... welcome to the bragging chain ... we find it so uplifting for when we post for ourselves and just reading all the other posts that it is hard not to come back and post some more. So I hope you find yourself back on the chain happily posting away. And FYI: your sons sound wonderful and I hope we hear a lot more about them.

Phoebe: Huge brag! I remember reading your frustration with public pooping so great job for your son. Give him my big thumbs up b/c he earned it! ... And if anyone has the magical ways about them to get the strong willed gifted child to decide to potty train come see me ASAP. LOL She drives me nuts but I am patiently waiting. Big Sigh.

Rebekah - posted on 03/30/2009

That's exciting Phoebe. Any tips on how you got him to go? We have negotiations every morning before school because my little guy wants to wear underwear, but so far has never used the toilet there, so I send him in a pull-up. I tell him once he starts using the bathroom at school and comes home with a dry pull up that he can wear underwear, but I don't think he really gets it. He still isn't very good at remembering to go (especially if doing something engrossing) so I don't want to just send him in underwear and hope for the best.

Phoebe - posted on 03/30/2009

Oorah!!!! Ivan pooped on the potty at school today! We have been working on pooping in the "public" potty for months and today was a big success.

Phoebe - posted on 03/30/2009

Oorah!!!! Ivan pooped on the potty at school today! We have been working on pooping in the "public" potty for months and today was a big success.

Julie - posted on 03/30/2009

What a great post!!!  It's nice to have a place to brag about my kids without getting the usual eye rolls....

I have a 10 year old son that the teachers have told me is the smartest kid they know in the 4th grade.  Academically there isn't anything this kid can't do.  He is reading and comprehending at a college level.  He is doing true Algebra equations, and he has an amazing ability to write and also tell stories. 

I also have a 6 year old son that is an absolute math whiz...the boys got their math genes from daddy!  My 6 year old is a natural athlete and can really do any sport he set his mind too.

Lauryan - posted on 03/27/2009

haha Morag....



that's funny.... :D congrats on her knowing the shapes - I saw that book at the library... it's cute

Morag - posted on 03/26/2009

I would say I have another brag... Lil miss knows her shapes...well she would, if big sister hadn't taught her made up words for it :/ Well its a lift the flap book where the teletubbies say things under half the shape...so lil miss thinks that the words for the shapes is what the teletubbies say... circle is eh-oh, square is big hug. *sigh* She knows star though lol.



Teri, I often feel the same way. Lil miss has done everything early and on other parenting forums I just get accused of lying or boasting... :( Everyone has the right to be proud of their child.



Ellen...Your young man sounds lovely and I so hope it is a gift he carries through his life, and please share the facebook page when you are done. :) As Deborah said, compassion is something that is common among gifted children. They feel the pain and responsibility of the world more acutely.

Lauryan - posted on 03/26/2009

Teri - you are definitely among friends who will love hearing your stories here!



congrats on your daughter's test results - that really is brilliant!! :)

Brenda - posted on 03/25/2009

I'll throw a brag on here.  My 3 1/2 year old and I were in the doctor's office and he was getting antsy, and I showed him the back of a magazine that said "The movie that taught you to wish upon a star" or something like that.  And I put it up because it was Disney and asking him what he said.  He hit every word except "taught" and "upon" right on, and even those two he tried to sound out but got tripped up on the weird combination of letters.  I got a few funny looks in the waiting room for that one...  This was after he'd read several headlings off a few other magazines in there like "parenting" and "seed" and other words I didn't even know he knew yet...

Phoebe - posted on 03/25/2009

Teri brag away. You are among friends.:)

Teri - posted on 03/25/2009

I am so glad I found this community.  I have a daughter who is very gifted and I feel like I can't tell anyone because either they will try to make excuses for their kids or try to compare their child to mine when I know they aren't even close to having my daughters intelligence. 

We recieved her state tests back this week and she got perfect scores in Science and Language arts as well as being in the 99th percentile for social studies.  When I tell people they act like I'm bragging.  Why can't I be proud of my daughter?  I listen to all of their stories about their children.  It all started when she was accepted into a school for gifted children and her friends weren't.  I tried to explain to them that there's smart and than there's gifted.  Oh well I can brag on here and get it all out.

Lauryan - posted on 03/24/2009

wow Ellen - that IS a big brag and yes please let us all have the link so that we can tell everyone about it! Your son is amazing and you have every right to be pleased. That compassion is brilliant to see, and I guess if they learn nothing else, our children will be able to affect change in this world of ours with their ability to care for others.

Deborah - posted on 03/23/2009

Ellen ... I have read stories in the highly gifted books about gifted kids and their compassion and this one is definitely up there with those. This heightened empathy is such an amazing gift and what a great job you are doing fostering it. Do let us know about the facebook page when you get it up and running. I really want to link to it and share with my friends.

Angela - posted on 03/23/2009

That's wonderful, Ellen! I love stories that show compassion. Right now I have a foreign exchange student staying with us who has no compassion for anyone, so it's a very touchy subject with me. I was concerned about my boys, who are very compassionate, being influenced by this visitor. Fortunately my boys' values seem to be set. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading your brag. You should be quite proud!

Ellen - posted on 03/22/2009

I just have to brag though it toatlly could have turned against me. The other day Z was upset that I wouldn't let him avoid bed time to get a drink of water. He was telling me that he would die without one. I got a bit frustrated and showed him google images of what it means to die without water (he's 6yo so I was taking a huge chance at damaging him for life). We then started looking at how many people acually die from malnutrition and lack of water got to chatting about it a bit. He then told me he wanted me to go build a water well for these people - just head to the store and do it. I explained that I do not have the skills to build a water well. Then we looked at World Vision's web site and saw that it costs $18,000 to build one. He's on a mission now to raise the $18,000. He's planned out lemonade stands and asked his dad to do a BBQ. He even estimatd that each lemonade stand will raise about $20 there for he needs 900 lemonade stands. He called his grandmother to help make posters, and had his first stand today. He worked the stand for 4 hours and raised $110.50. I am braging about my little guy not only could he achieve so much at 6yo, but that he has such a beautiful heart! We're working on making a public page through FB for people to track his progress and such. It's so exciting!

Morag - posted on 03/17/2009

Lauryan eww but I sympathise... I had my work skirt used this morning as a tissue, under the guise of a "I love you Mom" hug, turned into a stealthy blow your nose on moms work clothes when mom is running late...50 points. 100 points if she can do it without me noticing until I actually arrive in work but unfortunately she likes making the nose blowing sound atm. Yes lil miss is skilled in "the game".

Lauryan - posted on 03/17/2009

Morag - thats a brilliant brag! hehe Aiden likes to use MY clothes or arm as a tissue??!!? *gross*

Deborah - posted on 03/16/2009

Morag ... thanks for the laugh. I love the imagery of your daughter using the cat's tail for tissue.

Phoebe - posted on 03/16/2009

Morag that's great! You could get her a bunch of those cotton ladies hankies. She might like having her own pretty little hankie to blow on. (my son has some and loves them)

Lauryan Ivan like to correct us too. If we say something in Russian, he will say no, and give to English word instead and vise versa, if we say something in English he will correct us to Russian. 

Morag - posted on 03/16/2009

How sad am I? I'm going to brag because my 1 year old can blow her own nose. :) Everyone keeps telling me she's too young so I hand her a tissue and away she goes. It's not actually a good thing though, it means she can blow her nose on everything now, including our much tortured cat, who I must say is an absolute star to put up with everything that child puts him through, and now having her nose blown on his tail :) Anyway thats my brag LOL

Lauryan - posted on 03/16/2009

am loving the new brags... my son also deliberately gets things wrong, so since he loves to correct me - I turn it around. When he asks me my question back - I answer incorrectly. That's the fastest way to get him to tell me the right things as I also get ticked when he deliberately gets it wrong! hehe

Amber - posted on 03/16/2009

that's awesome phoebe!! being a mom is the hardest but most rewarding job anyone could ever have!!

Deborah - posted on 03/15/2009

Wow Phoebe that is impressive. Good for him! They do amaze us, don't they? :)

Phoebe - posted on 03/15/2009

Deborah- Thank you so much! Ivan has been on the starfall web site a few times since I showed it to him. I at down to read with him last night he asked for a new book I had read to him only once. It was above his level still and I was saving it till he was ready. He read the whole book, looking to me for help only a couple times. The big difference was he had figured out the silent "e."  I was just amazed how quickly he picked up new stuff.  

I can't believe the level he is reading at now.

Amber - posted on 03/14/2009

thanks deborah! that's what i was thinking too. he know's capital letters and we're trying to teach him lower-cases...i'm going to brag again lol...he knows all his shapes, including the difference between an octagon and hexagon, he knows how many sides each has...he know all colors including mauve and taupe lol and he knows every body part from his eye to his nipples to his peepee and butt lol so maybe i just need to try to make it more fun instead of routine and work more on the lowercased letters that he's not familiar with and the sounds....thanks

Deborah - posted on 03/14/2009

I really wouldn't worry about it, especially if it seems to be a game for him. He might be showing signs of being bored, falling under the heading of one trick pony. Have you progressed it? Take it to the next level. Does he know the sound each letter makes? Does he know both upper and lower case? How about shapes, colors, body parts? Just give him something new and see if it interests him. I wouldn't worry about reteaching him ... if you progress it he will repick it up if he has infact lost it, but it doesn't sound like that is the problem. Just sounds like he thinks it is baby stuff.

Amber - posted on 03/14/2009

i think i may need some advice...my son, Bradley is 2 1/2 and like i said before, he knows his alphabet and how to spell his name. He has gotten into this habit where he thinks it's funny to sing the alphabet wrong or to sing it in a baby voice and spell his name wrong too...i do not scorn him for this, but i don't know what to do....i mean, he is young so i don't pressure him to correct himself, but sometimes it drives me nuts knowing that he knows how to do it, but won't. maybe he's getting bored? maybe i stopped working with him as much on it because he knew it? but he didn't forget it, he's just being silly. should i just let him be silly, but politely correct him when he intentionally makes a mistake, or should i really start teaching him these things again to keep him in a steady routine of doing them correctly??