The language of a natural diplomat.

A couple of months ago, Tiarnan, then twenty-six months, showed his understanding of other people.

His mother, Syahidah, had given him a series of instructions, in English, to convey to his grandfather. He listened to her carefully and when she had finished, ran off to find his granddad.

When he got to his grandfather, he began to tell him, idea for idea, what she had asked him to convey - but he did so in MALAY, NOT ENGLISH. He translated it all, perfectly.

Syahidah was surprised that he had done this. Tiarnan's grandfather speaks both English and Malay - but he is most comfortable in Malay. Clearly, Tiarnan had noticed this - and so selected Malay as his granddad's preferred language.

Tiarnan's grandfather, Osman, laughed at this: "He doesn't think my English is good!"

I thought it telling that Tiarnan actually took the trouble to evaluate Osman's perspective, and to realize that Malay would be a better choice for him. The simplest thing, for him, would have been to just relay it all, as he had heard it, in English - but he did not do so: he translated it into Malay (for quite a lot of information) and relayed that instead.

It is funny to see how much Tiarnan understands of other people's needs. Perhaps the art of diplomacy (and social skills) start young.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and five months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and ten months, and Tiarnan, twenty-seven 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)

Strategic thinking about social situations

Fintan, four, has a good understanding of the social world. He seems to peer into the motives of others and make judgement calls that are well-founded in an understanding of human behaviour. Sometimes, however, this leads to comic, though justified remarks.

A few days ago, Syahidah asked Fintan whom he would like to take to the cinema with him. He looked up at her and said, rather quickly: "Abang Ainan, because he doesn't eat. If I took Tiarnan, he might eat my popcorn."

He didn't get his wish, however. In the end, he went with his mother, father - and Tiarnan. Ainan was elsewhere.

He was right. Tiarnan ate his popcorn. He wasn't too put out, though - since I had got an extra large box of it, for him, just in case his prediction turned out to be correct.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and five months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and ten months, and Tiarnan, twenty-seven 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, niño, gênio criança, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

A socially aware child: interpersonal intelligence

Fintan is a very socially aware child. In being so, he shows a generous degree of interpersonal intelligence. This is the intellectual function proposed as one of the multiple intelligences, by Howard Gardner - its counterpart is intrapersonal intelligence (knowing oneself).

A couple of weeks ago, it was a hot day. Syahidah and Fintan were in the Dempsey Road area of Singapore - which is a sheltered enclave of idiosyncratic shops and restaurants in low-lying buildings. They recall earlier times when Singapore had more space: it is popular with expats, perhaps for that very reason.

Fintan, four, and Syahidah were walking through the area, casting an eye into the shops that they passed. They had already been there some while and it was nearly time to go home. Suddenly, Syahidah said: "Let's go into the organic shop, Fintan."

They did so. Syahidah walked aimlessly around for a while, in its cool interior, then asked a shop assistant: "Do you have kale?"

"No."

Syahidah lingered in the shop with Fintan, until finally she left with him.

Fintan, four, was studying his mother very carefully. "Mummy, you didn't want anything in that shop did you? You just wanted to go in because of the aircon."

The funny thing is, he was right. Syahidah had just sought the relief of the aircon against the heat of the sunlit outside. She didn't really intend to buy kale, or anything else for that matter. Somehow, Fintan had divined this.

This is not the only time Fintan has seen through matters to their social truth. He often catches the real meaning of what is happening, to a surprising degree.

I think, of all the different ways a child can be smart, this particular one is among the most useful in the long run. After all, understanding people and their ways has implications for success in all areas of life.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and five months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and ten months, and Tiarnan, twenty-seven 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, niño, gênio criança, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

Considering other people's lives

Fintan, four, is a boy of high social intelligence (interpersonal intelligence). He is ever watching, learning and understanding other people's lives. Some children, I have noted, hardly give anyone else a thought. Perhaps they lack empathy, or interest in others. Perhaps they are too self-centred. Perhaps some of them are autistic or tending towards it. Fintan, on the other hand, is a keen social observer.

Today, he made a remark which brought his social gifts to my attention. We had just visited the local shop, in my case to buy some food, in his case to buy a Transformer robot. As we walked home, he looked up at me, his curly hair limned by the street lamps, and asked: "Why is that shop open at night?" It was about 9 p.m so that was a fair question.

I didn't answer why, I answered the "what" of it. "Well, he is open until 10 pm."

He didn't reveal whether he considered this an adequate reply. He just looked up at me again, and asked: "How does he eat his dinner? How does he go to the toilet?"

How, indeed. The shopkeeper worked alone, in his shop, from 9 am to 10 pm everyday apart from Sunday when he stopped early, at 2 pm. Fintan, rather than dwell on the toy purchase clutched in his hand, actually went to the trouble of considering another person's life. Fintan wondered how this man lived, how he did the things everyone has to do - when there was no-one else to help him mind his shop. To me, that indicated a high degree of social intelligence and understanding. He was showing insight into the other man's position. It also showed that he actually cared about other people's situation - for if he didn't have such empathy - he wouldn't bother himself to think about it.

I find it warming that Fintan actually thinks about other people's lives, that he is actually interested enough to try to understand them. Many, many children - perhaps most - would not have given a single thought to what a shopkeeper's day must be like. Most children would grow up into adults who never gave it a thought, either. Fintan, on the other hand, considered it a problem worthy of attention. How does a shopkeeper live? Fintan would like to know.

(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, 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.)