Birthday of a Singapore Cowboy

Today is Fintan's fourth birthday. Yesterday, however, we celebrated it.

The party was held at Fintan's grandmother's house and guests included both relatives and friends from various backgrounds and races - including an American theologian!

The theme was Cowboys, since Fintan is rather fond of them. Thus Syahidah did her traditional thing and drew themed posters for the house: cowboy scenes, poster sheriffs, cactuses and general western landscapes. She also made up - or selected - a group of games for the kids centred around the Western theme: Sheriff's Badge (a game of pin the badge on the Sheriff, while blindfolded); Paint the cactus; Newspaper Quicksand; Shooting the cactus; Bean the Cowboy Hat; a Western Pinata Boot.

Although Fintan was not well on the day, he enjoyed himself surrounded by friends, getting involved in the games and being surprised by his presents.

It was almost impossible not to stop his fellow three and four year olds from opening his presents for him: their little hands piled in, the moment adults backed off. As it was, therefore, Fintan did not manage to get to open all of his presents himself. His friends were as eager as him to get inside.

When it came to the Pinata, everyone took turns to beat it - but the winner, in the sense of first to break in, was Ainan.

A queue of three and four year olds took turns to pin the badge on the Sheriff. They were all over the place. Ainan however, had his own method - and, although blindfolded, managed to get the badge exactly on target - not even off by a millimetre. It was quite an ingenious technique which he used - which I shan't describe lest I spoil the game or any variation, forever, for everyone. Let us just say that it worked well.

Both Tiarnan and Fintan found a favourite friend - a girl apiece (!) with whom they spent much of their time. Tiarnan, in particular, was very cute with his new friend, Chloe. It is clear that he is both socially adept, and socially at ease, in his little world.

Thank you to all who made their way to the party - and thanks also for the gifts, for Fintan. He much appreciates them.

HAPPY FOURTH BIRTHDAY FINTAN!

Tale of a cowboy hat

A couple of days ago, my wife, Syahidah, placed a cowboy hat on Fintan's head and left him to his own devices.

Some time later, she saw him running around the house from one room to another.

"Fintan, why are you running around?"

"I am trying to catch my horse...it has run away." he explained.

He continued to run.

Some time later, he was standing still in his room, looking at something that wasn't there.

"What happened?" Syahidah asked him.

"Oh, I shot my horse.", he confided. "First I tied him up, then I shot him."

He was quite satisfied to have solved the problem of the horse that just wouldn't sit still.

It is the imagination of a child that I think is most precious - for in the mind of an imaginative child, anything can be considered and all is possible. Yet, is such imagination common to all children? From observation, I would say not. Some children don't seem to have much of an imagination. Is that the reason most adults lack imagination? Is it because they start out with none...or is it because they lose it as they grow up?

I rather hope Fintan doesn't lose his imagination, but finds a creative application for it, that satisfies him and brings him fulfilment. Right now, it is both fun and fascinating to watch his imagination at work. Long may it be part of him.

(If you would like to learn more of Fintan, three, or his gifted brothers, Ainan Celeste Cawley, seven years and six months, and Tiarnan, sixteen months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.hmtl I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, the creatively gifted, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)