Granddaddy vs Grandson

Today, we went to the zoo with my father, and his grandchildren.

As part of the tour, we took a tram around the zoo. Tiarnan, 24 months, sat through the first stop on the journey. At the second, however, he stood up on his seat - which, quite clearly, was a precarious position, in a vehicle that could move off at any moment.

My father intervened: "Sit down Tiarnan!", he ordered, firmly.

Tiarnan didn't take kindly to being ordered about. He rounded on my father swiftly, his index finger on his left hand rising to chide him. "Naughty boy!", he replied, scolding my Dad.

It was hilarious to see his little figure standing up to my father (who by most standards is a large, very well built man - a giant by local measures, in mass, if not in height). It was a David vs Goliath confrontation - but more so, for the disparity was much greater. Tiarnan is petite, but my father is most robust.

The tableaux imprinted itself on my mind: the smallest of children, versus the largest of men. What made it even funnier was the sureness with which Tiarnan confronted his grandfather. Little though he is, he was absolutely certain of himself, of his position, of his view, of his ability to stand up to such a large man, as my Dad. Never for a moment did he consider it out of place for someone so small to berate someone so large. Another matter of note was the passion with which he scolded my father: clearly, he really felt his words, in the moment of their utterance. Here is a boy true to his feelings.

He repeated his action, again, later in the day, but this time with a self-aware humour: he raised his finger, and uttered his words again: "Naughty boy!" he told my father, with a big smile, at himself and at what he had said. This time, however, they were not said with directed force, but with a reminiscent humour.

What a funny little passionate boy he is. I think there are many more interesting moments to come, from him. He is too sure of himself, for it to be otherwise. I will watch with interest.

Tiarnan is the first of my father's grandchildren to call him a "naughty boy". He was enchanted.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and one month, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and seven months, and Tiarnan, two years exactly, 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, Singapore, 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.)

A child's book shelf

There is a bookshelf, in our house, in fact, more than one. The child's book shelf I wish to speak of, is by the wall in the living room. It is of an unusual appearance, being a furniture book shelf, that is round in design, not rectangular.

Now, this bookshelf doesn't have a ladder leaning against it. Indeed, there is no ladder accessible in our house (from the days we found Tiarnan at the top of it, of his own accord, while a matter of several months old).

About two months ago, I heard a little squeal coming from the living room. When I looked in the room, I found that Tiarnan, who had been quietly playing, had found an altogether unorthodox use for a bookshelf. There was a strange new addition to the top shelf of my book shelf. There, balancing carefully on top of the books, was my son, Tiarnan (eighteen months at the time). Somehow, he had climbed to the top of the bookshelf - and had done so without, as I could see, knocking off any books.

Once he had got to the top, he found that going down didn't look so inviting - hence the squeal. I reached up and took him down.

This is just another adventure in our daily life with a little spiderman/spiderbaby/spidertoddler. With him, nothing is safe from being climbed. So far, he has yet to fall off anything - but I really don't want there ever to be a first time. He attempts to climb everything that looks even vaguely possible - and always succeeds, as far as I can see. Perhaps he was born to be a mountaineer (or comes from mountain-living stock!) - for he just can't stop climbing.

Although he enjoys climbing, I would rather he took up a safer pursuit - like reading the books, instead of climbing on the bookshelves (he does like books, actually, too).

If you have a climbing baby, no doubt you, too, have had the experience of finding your child in strange places. With Tiarnan, this is a fairly regular occurrence. Oh well...

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and ten months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and three months, and Tiarnan, twenty 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, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)