The child who wants to grow up.

Yesterday, Tiarnan was asked by a stranger how old he was. He said: "Abang!". This means he is the older brother. Tiarnan is, in fact, the youngest - and only 26 months old.

Later on, I spoke to him about his age, to see his reaction, as he sat on the ground.

"Tiarnan, you are two."

"No!", he shouted.

"Fintan is four."

"No!" he shouted louder.

"Ainan is eight."

"NOOO!", he shouted, loudest of all.

It was quite clear he didn't like to be the youngest. Tiarnan is a little boy who wants to be grown up, already.

We thought it sweet.

(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.)

The memory of a toddler

It is said, by some, that young children don't form long term memories. The impression is that they don't retain much of their daily life, for long. I have come to doubt that.

On the 12th November, twenty-one month old Tiarnan saw a Christmas tree in a shopping centre.

He ran over to it excitedly and reached up to pick up at the baubles. That wasn't what got my attention. What did, was his words as he did so: "Mismas! Mismas!" he said. He had remembered Christmas, from a year before when he had been ten to eleven months old.

Now, he had not heard the word Christmas, either, since last year - so his rendition of it: "Mismas" is a memory of word long unheard and long unused. This is another indicator that young children do, in fact, form long-term memories, and are able to recall them much later.

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

Tiarnan and the public bar.

Today, Tiarnan passed by a bar and peered inside. He saw people of most ages, sizes and races (except for one) gathered together with pint glasses in their hands, sipping beer and chatting. We carried on walking.

A minute or so later he pointed back at the bar and said that he wanted "susu" - which is Malay for milk. We both laughed. He had concluded that, since it was a place where others were drinking their (unknown) drink, that he would be able to order "susu" for himself, there.

As he asked for milk, I had this image of Tiarnan, the toddler, clutching a glass of milk, surrounded by a bunch of beer-drinking adult onlookers. Funny.

It is interesting to watch Tiarnan's social understanding on display: the way he speaks of the world, tells us his perception. What is notable is that he is usually basically right in his interpretation of the meaning of occurrences and places - even though he has very little experience from which to reason. I think babies learn and understand more deeply, more quickly and more correctly than is generally understood: at least the ones I have observed do. It is very rewarding to watch them piece together their understanding of the world. So much of it is of their own deduction - very little is actually imparted by direct instruction from the parents, I realize. It would be unfair of me to take too much credit for their comprehension of the world: it is largely down to the children themselves. It always was, I suppose.

When Tiarnan got home, he got his "susu" alright.

(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, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

The self-perception of a toddler

Tiarnan is a toddler - he is but eighteen months old. I wonder, at times, how he sees himself and the rest of the world. Sometimes, something he does or some attitude he takes reveals a lot of what must be going in him. The other day was a case in point.

Tiarnan led me into the computer room, where his brother, Ainan, was at work and pointed at the screen. "Baby!", he said. Ainan knew what he meant. "He wants to see babies.", he said, indulgently and started to type at the keyboard.

As images of babies appeared on the screen, Tiarnan at once started jumping up and down: "Babies!" he said, most pleased to see them. We let him see images of "babies" - some were indeed, babies, others were toddlers like himself. He was delighted at this.

I thought this was both sweet and sad for what it said about how he felt. Tiarnan is not going to nursery, at this moment. Perhaps, in leading me to the computer, which he knew was capable of calling up any and all information, he was expressing a need for the company of others of his own age. He has two older brothers - four years and seven - but, to an eighteen month old, that is quite a gap.

Another interpretation is evident, however, which may, in fact, be the dominant one. Tiarnan simply likes babies: he thinks they are cute. Whenever he meets a baby when we are out, he smiles, goes up to it and interacts with it, much as a mother does to her baby: with an overwhelming feeling of adoration. I think he thinks of babies as very young and cute - not realizing that most of the world thinks of him in just the same way. He too is a "baby" to our eyes - but not to his own.

I feel that Tiarnan thinks of himself as distinct from babies - as more mature and developed - and therefore that babies are the province of cuteness and careful interaction (for he is always careful with them) that takes note of their fragility.

It is funny to watch him with babies - for he is very much like an adoring adult - but actually a toddler, who is seemingly unaware of his own toddler status. It is very sweet.

(If you would like to read more of Tiarnan, eighteen months, or his gifted brothers, Ainan Celeste Cawley, seven years and eight months, or Fintan, four years and one month, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, genetics, left-handedness, College, University, Chemistry, Science, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, the creatively gifted, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

Social skills in toddlers

Tiarnan is eighteen months old. Though yet young, he has shown, on many occasions, an unexpected social adroitness that is often funny in its aptness.

A week ago, Tiarnan was moving about a lot in a taxi.

His mother, Syahidah, said: "Sit down."

"I don't want to." he replied firmly and continued to investigate the interior of the taxi, energetically.

Seeing that her own request wasn't working, Syahidah tried another tack.

"The uncle will scold you.", she said, referring to the taxi driver.

He stopped, then, to observe the taxi driver.

The driver duly played along and looked fiercely at Tiarnan.

Yet, Tiarnan wasn't phased. He clambered forward to the centre of the taxi, betwixt the seats, leant forward, and gently patted the driver on his forearm, to pacify him, all the time looking up into his face.

It was such a disarming thing to do, and so aptly timed, that, had the driver genuinely been angry, I am sure that that would have mollified him: who could be angry after such a display?

It is often surprising how complex, subtle and appropriate the social behaviour of a young child can be. Particularly, if that child has shown some skill in social circumstances. Tiarnan is one such: he always seem to know what to do, to create just the right result for him.

(If you would like to learn more of Tiarnan, eighteen months, or his gifted brothers, Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and eight months, or Fintan, four years and one month, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, genetics, left-handedness, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)