Sunday 7 July 2013

Brainy Baby

So you've endured 9 months of pregnancy, trying to do it all perfectly for baby to be born healthy.  But once that is done and history, the next big concern is are they smart enough.  As Ethan gets older, we become convinced that he's way smarter than any child should be at his age.  We are blatantly dealing with a child genius here.

But not every child can grow up to be smart, right?  Or else where do all the un-genius, normal adults come from.  It's just that when you've spent the last 18 months watching a helpless cuddle ball of baby turn into someone who knows his Gruffalo from his Elmo, you can't help but think, 'Amazing!'

My parents also thought they were dealing with a genius child.  But then I went to school and they were shocked to discover that I could't read or spell to save my life.  Unless the task required to save my life was spelling everything completely mirror-image backwards.  In any case, I was in a lower reading stream and they couldn't understand why.  

I didn't know of their surprise at my below averageness until much later in life.  A bit of family folklore about how amazed they were that their first child was not a genius.  To me, I was happy to be at school, didn't know or care about reading streams and had lots of fun feeling smart.  

Although, to this day, my reading and spelling stink.  I've found ways around it to do what I like with words.  Just today, glancing past Thom's Derwent drawing pencils, I always see 'DrewEnt' which makes it all the more difficult, as all I can think is 'Drew It'.  As I write, I have to check the spelling from the box, so uncertain I can spell it.  My brain works in funny ways, but I thank the 'baby genius complex' my parents suffered from for my current talents and confidence.  

Ill placed as is might have been, having them think me smart allowed me to try things out, and not feel held back by whatever inabilities school might have shown up.  And to say, actually what school says may not be all that important.  And so with Ethan, I think, I will stay entrenched in the firm belief that he is actually my amazing baby genius.