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The boy who knew too much: a child prodigy

This is the true story of scientific child prodigy, and former baby genius, Ainan Celeste Cawley, written by his father. It is the true story, too, of his gifted brothers and of all the Cawley family. I write also of child prodigy and genius in general: what it is, and how it is so often neglected in the modern world. As a society, we so often fail those we should most hope to see succeed: our gifted children and the gifted adults they become. Site Copyright: Valentine Cawley, 2006 +

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Like father, like son

When Fintan, four, was at the hospital, the other day, for his eye injury, the nurse weighed him on check-in.

She asked him to step onto the scales and pressed a button.

I couldn't see the readout - but she clearly could. From her face, it was clear that she didn't believe what she saw.

"Off the scales...it is not accurate."

Fintan stepped off the scales. She then pressed the button to "zero" the scales.

"Step back on again."

He did so.

It was quite clear, from her face, that the unsatisfactory number was there again.

I read it: "21.90 kg". That is 48.18 pounds.

She didn't say anything, but it was clear that she had a hard time believing it, of such a young boy. She wrote the number down.

I knew Fintan was stocky, but I didn't have a handle on how stocky. It wasn't until I got home and did some net browsing that I found some figures for comparison.

Fintan is over 48 pounds. He is just four years old. He is also Eurasian, not Caucasian (and therefore they tend to be more lightly built, in general than Caucasians, by observation of the ones here, in Singapore). Yet, according to a Doctor's website, I found, the average SIX year old Caucasian weighs in at 45 pounds. Thus Fintan, four, is 3 pounds heavier than a typical Caucasian, six.

It is lucky he is so robust, for he has a physical style of play that requires that sturdiness, for him to be safe.

In a Singaporean context, of course, his build is even more unusual. For children here are slighter than children in Europe - quite a bit so.

There is one disadvantage though. People tend to judge him to be rather older than he actually is, simply because of his size and build. This can be a social disadvantage.

It is funny to see Fintan's physique. It is a sturdy little echo of my own. He even has my bodily proportions. So, despite his Eurasian background, from his build alone, he looks like nothing more than a stocky Irishman. As I said, like father, like son.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and no months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and five months, and Tiarnan, twenty-two months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

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posted by Valentine Cawley @ 11:04 AM 

2 Comments:

Blogger Valentine Cawley said...

Thank you for sharing your son's experience...funny.

Yes, people are not accepting enough of each other.

I have a cousin (by marriage) who was always considered too big, by other kids his age. You know what he does for a living now? He is in the national Rugby team. He is a professional sportsman...his size which others regarded as an affliction, is now his best asset.

So treasure your son for what he is. Any unusual characteristic can be a hidden gift. (I may have to post about that.)

Best wishes

12:12 PM  
Blogger Valentine Cawley said...

Yes, it is very interesting the way our children follow us. I find it even more so because my children are half-Asian, and characteristics of both Irish and Malay can be seen in them. It is funny how the genes express themselves no matter what the circumstance.

Kind regards

12:14 PM  

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