High Five, Tiarnan style

How often have you heard the phrase High Five? How have you responded to it?

Yesterday, Syahidah went: "High five!" to Tiarnan, putting out her hand for him to slap. She is not in the habit of doing this, it just came upon her to do so, in that moment.

He looked at the proffered hand for a smidgeon of a second and shouted, in reply: "High Ten!" and then moved to slap with two hands - and she duly presented both hands to be slapped.

This was funny to the degree that it was both apt and unexpected. Tiarnan, nineteen months, had taken a standard phrase and action and made them his own - with arithmetical correctness thrown in for good measure.

Who needs television when you've got kids? They are far more entertaining than the goggle box.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and nine months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and two months, and Tiarnan, nineteen 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, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

Tiarnan's training regime

Yesterday we were at an Indian restaurant, in Orchard Road. We were with Tiarnan, eleven months, who managed to ensure that we couldn't focus on our food, so intent was he on deconstructing his new environment.

To control him, we placed him in a high chair: he fought his way to get out, trying every twist and turn he could think of, to free himself. So we took him out, which made him much happier, but much harder to handle. Oddly, he then tried to climb back into his high chair, lifting his leg up onto the first rung, followed by the second - and did, indeed, manage to secure himself halfway up the chair, his head looking over the top into the seat. I took him down.

Then, as if not satisfied with this degree of exercise, he sat between us on the chair and, for no apparent reason, started counting in Malay: "Satu, dua, tiga..." At each count, he rocked forward in his seat, as if doing mini-sit ups. I don't know of any time he has seen someone exercise in that manner, (I certainly don't) so I can only assume that the whim to count his sit ups - and to do them in the first place - came over him, of his own accord. It was the first time I have heard him count in Malay (though he has probably done so when I am not around): several months ago he started to count in English, in his sleep - I have posted on it, before.

Tiarnan looks set to be an athletic boy, so much does he enjoy moving around, climbing and exploring. He even appears to move rhythmically to music, so something in him wants to dance. He must have got that latter desire from his mother.

(If you would like to read more about Tiarnan or his gifted brothers, including scientific child prodigy, Ainan Celeste Cawley, seven years and one month, 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. Please note that I am presently unable to update the guide owing to problems with the edit post function in my blogger interface. I am trying to resolve the situation. Until I do, however, for recent posts you will have to go to the main page and look in the sidebar to the left. Thanks.)

The Numerate Dreams of Baby Tiarnan

What do babies dream of? We normally have no way to know, but last night we had a glimpse of our baby's dream world.

Last night, at about 3 am, amidst the diffuse light of the night sky filtering in through the curtains, in our home, on the equatorial island of Singapore, Tiarnan Hasyl Cawley, nine months, began counting in his sleep. What he was counting, we cannot know - and it was most certainly not sheep, since he has never seen one. Yet he was counting in his dreams. It was not the first time he has counted - that began some time ago - but it is the first time we have heard him do it while asleep.

Happy dreams, little one!

If you would like to learn more about the Cawley family, including Tiarnan, and Ainan Celeste Cawley, his scientific child prodigy brother, aged six, as well as Fintan Nadym, go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of child genius, adult genius, prodigy, savant and gifted children in general. Thanks.