The Civil Engineer and "Godzilla"

On December 21st 2006, Ainan conceived a lego project: to design a bridge, using lego, that would take his weight, sitting on its mid-section.

He proceeded to try various designs, sat on them, watched them break, tried variations and improvements until he had designed three bridges, of differing design, which were able to sustain his weight.

When I returned home, he had laid the bridges out in a winners' parade, numbering them 1st, 2nd and 3rd. It made quite a nice sight and were it not for the absence of space in my camera, I would have taken a photo of his structural designs, which were interesting in the way they played with the force on the bridge so as to dissipate it. I told him to keep them until I could take a photo.

Then Tiarnan, who was ten months, saw the bridges and grew very excited. He hurried towards them and one by one, picked them up and broke them into dozens of pieces. Watching him, I thought he seemed like some infantile Godzilla, destroying the city beneath his giant feet. It was funny and sad (for Ainan's work was being wiped out without record). He managed to wreck the bridges in a minute or two.

It just goes to show: a bridge may be sturdy enough to take the greatest weight - but that is no proof against a determined baby.

(If you would like to read more about Ainan Celeste Cawley, my scientific child prodigy son, aged seven years and one month, and his gifted brothers, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, the creatively gifted, gifted children and gifted adults in general. Thanks.)