On being determined.

Tiarnan is small, but mighty - not in strength, but in heart. (Though he is pretty strong, too.)

Yesterday, Tiarnan's mother, Syahidah, wanted to get him to do something, so she asked him to come to her.

He stiffened a little at her words and looked up at her, his little brow furrowed: "I am on a MISSION!", he said, emphatically, making it clear that he wasn't going to join her.

"Oh.", she replied, somewhat taken aback. "Carry on, then."

"Thank you.", he said, relaxing and turning back to his "mission" - making a painting.

It was an instructive moment in the life of Tiarnan. He is a little boy who sets his mind to something, then doggedly pursues it, until it is done. I think this is a very helpful quality and I hope to see it endure through his life. Should he retain this gift of personality, I can see him overcoming any number of challenges, to meet his goals. Today, he overcame the will of his mother, so as to create what was in his mind's eye. She was pleased to see his strength of will and not in the least put out, that he had refused her. It is a good sign that he should be so determined. Long may he continue to be.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

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Memories of a childhood: the parents' view.

What will I remember of my children, when I am older...when I have become the grandfather, I knew as a child?

I think I will remember the times my children showed the perspective of a child, the times they revealed their growing characters, the times they were simply sweet in action, thought and feeling.

A few days ago, we were shopping with Tiarnan, 28 months, in tow. We had brought his stroller with us, to help us convey him at those times when he didn't feel like walking and we didn't feel like carrying him. Of course, as anyone who has pushed a stroller will know, using one is not entirely without its problems. In particular, there is the little matter of stairs...

Tiarnan had a characteristic way of dealing with stairs, when we approached them. He wanted to do it himself. He took hold of one end of the stroller - and, in the guise of helping him a little, we took hold of it at two other places, too - and proceeded to carry it up the stairs (and later down the stairs).

It was funny watching him at work. He is a small boy...a toddler of two. Yet, he took a hold of the stroller with fierce determination and exerted all his might to carry it (as seen by the strain in his face and the earnestness of his expression). So, our little Samson carried the stroller up the stairs - doing so, all the way, without letting up. We could see that it was an effort for him - but he was determined not to give up.

When he got to the top, he set the stroller down and punched the air with one little hand: "I am so STRONG!", he declared, "I am SO strong."

Indeed he was.

It was a fun afternoon in the company of our diminutive Titan. He managed to help us carry the stroller up and down every stairs we met. He just wasn't going to let us struggle alone with it, without his help.

Seeing him shouting jubilantly about his strength - and the image of his straining body carrying the (comparatively) giant stroller up the stairs and two memories I think I shall recall in my later years, as being typical of the young Tiarnan. It is already clear that he likes to take up challenges and battle on, with determination, to their completion. These may be either physical or mental - but it is the physical ones that are particularly funny to watch, because he is just so small. (However, don't tell him that...for he is "so strong").

Before my kids, shopping was just shopping. Now, it is an adventure. That is a good change, I must say.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight 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, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind)

Fintan, the athletic child

Fintan, three, is a robust child. He has a stocky build inherited from his father and has been known, since young, for his surprising strength. That, however, is not what I wish to talk about.

A couple of months ago, Syahidah, my wife, went for a jog. Fintan insisted on coming along. His mother argued that he should stay at home, since she would be running and he would not be able to keep up. Still, he insisted on coming. Syahidah resigned herself to being unable to jog as she wished, with a three year old tagging along, and let him join her.

When she got to her "track" - a waterside location, along which she could jog up and down both sides of a waterway, with bridges crossing it - she started off, at a gentle pace and Fintan jogged along with her. She thought he might fall behind, but he didn't. Seeing that he had no trouble, she adopted her usual pace and jogged in her accustomed rhythm. Fintan jogged along with her, his shorter legs having to stride somewhat more often - but still he kept up with her. She wondered how long he would be able to do this...so she kept jogging and he kept up alongside her. So, her run went on, with Fintan keeping pace. He never faltered. He never fell behind. He never complained - he just kept pace with his mother. In the end, she ran her normal course - without having to accommodate Fintan at all. He ran with her a distance that was enough to leave her well-exercised - and which, assuredly, must have been quite far for such a young child.

Knowing Fintan as I do, this performance was as much a product of his determination, as of any athletic endowment. It should be noted that he hadn't run with her before like this - and so his ability to keep up was not the result of consistent training. It was the product of whatever native stamina he possesses - and a determination not to fail to pace his mother.

There is in Fintan a strong heart - of both kinds: the heart of the body and the heart of the mind.

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