How My Nephew Is A Genius.

[dodger_sister]

The Nephew’s birthday is on Sunday. This means Sunday is Mother’s Day, The Nephew’s 6th birthday and my 2nd LJ anniversary. His party is Saturday. They are having it at a park so here’s crossing my fingers that is doesn’t rain and that it isn’t as cold as the last time. It is a robot theme party, so my sister made a giant robot costume out of a box. (yes, there will be pictures). The last time she turned a box into a robot he was 2 (maybe 3) and he was terrified of it. I hope he thinks it is awesome this time because I am worried he is too old for robot-boxes and my sister will be so disappointed if he doesn’t love it.


My brother was working on academics with him after school even though in kindergarten they don’t actually have homework. But then The Nephew’s teacher asked my brother to please stop because the kid is so advanced that he is actually having behavioral problems because he is getting bored in class. They do this letter system for reading and most of the kids in his class read at a Level C. The Nephew reads at Level H. The teacher tried him on a Level M and he only struggled with one word. The kid is a genius.

But now my brother is like, “He can’t play video games and toys all the time. If I can’t work on academics with him, what do I do?” My brother freely acknowledges that he is not an artistic person. Now that the weather is turning, he can engage in sports but they can’t sign him up for anything because they only have one car and no way to get him to sports when his mom is working. My sister and I offered to pay for guitar lessons but again with the non-ability to get him there. So I bought him some art books (a monster book, a robot book, an animal book and an Avatar: The Last Airbender book). They should be simple enough for my brother to be able to help him with. I also got him a baseball that has a speed radar in it that will tell you how fast you threw it (somebody in this family has to encourage the kid to like baseball!) My sister got him a ‘build your own robot’ kit. If he is anything like his dad was at that age, it will be a breeze for him to build a robot.

I also wrote him an Avengers story. He called me up about a month ago and said, “Hey, will you write me another X-men story?” and I said, “What, do you think you have a birthday coming up or something?” He goes, “Hey! I do have a birthday coming up!” Then I asked him if he wanted something different than X-Men this time. We got to talking about the new Avengers movie and he had just seen some cartoon (“It’s in the future so it has old Hulk and old Iron Man and Girl-Thor with a sword not a hammer”.) Then we were talking and I said, “You know what bothers me? Once The Hulk gets mad and becomes the Hulk and then they get all the bad guys - how do they get him to calm down again?” And The Nephew says, “Maybe they could tell him a knock-knock joke? He can’t be The Hulk if he is laughing.” Some of you may have read Darcy say this thing in my other Avengers fic - yes, I totally stole the idea for myself but it seemed like such a Darcy thing to say. Anyways, he decided on an Avengers fic so I had to use the idea again in this story. I also put The Nephew in the fic too. If you read it, you’ll see. Apparently the kids on the playground don’t believe him that Iron Man flies. What do they teach these kids?!

I’ll try to put the fic up on Monday. Also, Sunday is my LJ anniversary and I will be doing the Fictional Story Meme where you all leave me little stories about some crazy adventure the two of us got up to together (hence the fictional part of the meme). Now I am off to bed early so I can get up for the birthday party. Night all.

Comments

[vikingprincess]

Ha, he was totally watching Young Avengers! :D (why yes, my dork flag IS waving high!)

I think it's excellent that you guys are trying to give The Nephew things to do, but man, do I ever feel for his teacher, as well as him! It's kind of a nobody-wins situation, because I'm sure she'd rather be spending more time with fun stuff too - but with the many different levels of skill and acuity kids have at the very same age, it's hard to be all things to all kids.

Even in high school, the kids who get bored (as opposed to being lazy, which is a whole different type of frustration for the teacherly types like me) make me really sad, because with big classes they just don't get the fun attention and encouragement they need to get re-excited about stuffing their brains with cool things. (Even more so when the arts are taken away, grrrr argh.) Honestly, the ONE thing that would VASTLY improve US education is to make ALL classes no bigger than 15 kids per class grade 8 and below, and 20 in high school.

Can't wait to see the Avengers story, and I have an idea for our wacky adventure, too. :D

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

Young Avengers, eh? He has been renting a lot of dvds because they don't have TV hookup, so his dad just rents things and get stuff from the library. So he keeps calling me to tell me about all these retro cartoons he has been watching. Now, is Girl!Thor actually Thor's daughter? The Nephew said it was. I should have known you would know what he was watching!

My brother still has problems with proper discipline and he has a short temper for sure (though in comparision to my dad's, it is nothing at all) but one thing he has done outstanding on is The Nephew's education.

It really is a no-win sitaution and kindergarten is probably a really bad place for it because the kids all have to be at such hugely varying levels of ability. My younger brother (The Nephew's dad) has always had a problem sitting still for long periods. Even now he is a 'pacer', constantly moving around the room. So the teachers said he had a behavioral problem and that he wasn't smart and they wanted him in the special-ed class. But as I found out when I was working with him on homework, the kid is actually insanely smart. Like freaky levels of smart. If he ever had an IQ test, I wouldn't even blink if he turned out to be a genius. He just can't sit still for long and he gets bored really easy and he wasn't ebing challenged. But nobody had the time to give him to even realize this when he was a kid. And with him as The Nephew's dad and his wife being smart too (not genius level but certainly she could have gotten into college without any problem if she hadn't gotten pregnant) - I am worried The Nephew is going to end up having the same types of problems in school as he gets older.

Honestly, the ONE thing that would VASTLY improve US education is to make ALL classes no bigger than 15 kids per class grade 8 and below, and 20 in high school.

In a perfect world, this would be the solution. Instead, more money is being taken away from the schools and kids. /shakes head/ I don't know how people can't see that education is so vitally important.

[vikingprincess]

I'm certain that if diagnoses had run as rampant in my childhood as they do now, I would have been labeled autistic, rather than skipped ahead a grade. I barely spoke to anyone for anything in school.

They know it's important, they say it's important, but they don't DO ANYTHING to back that up. Grrrrr.

Eight more school days before sweet summer freedom.

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you skipped a grade. That's cool.

I never talked to anyone at school either. It was unbearable really.

My mom was always convinced that my little brother was autistic and now she is insintent that The Nephew is. Which neither of them are at all.

Eight more school days before sweet summer freedom.

Really? WHOO-HOO!! We don't get out here until like June 15th.

[vikingprincess]

It was way less than cool at the time, literally fenced away from all of my kindergarten friends and shoved into first grade with a bunch of strangers partway through the school year; now, I'm sort of grateful.

Heh, well, I bet you guys don't go back until after Labor Day - we go back to work the 27th of July, because the Board here is INSANE. But I definitely plan to enjoy the summer.

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

That does sound kind of sucky. You were quite young for skipping a grade.

Yeah, we don't go back until after Labor Day and then with making up snow days, sometimes we can run until nearly the end of June.

I plan on enjoying all your writing time this summer!

[vikingprincess]

I plan to be MUCH BETTER about writing. Yep!

[denig37]

Nephew rules!
I had the same problem in school when I was little, sadly stupid teacher didn't recognize why I didn't pay attention (because I was bored obviously) and wrote it don into my school files.

Solution were afterschool activities (we have them in school and my school is about 15 minutes of walking from my home) and my mom (an awesome mom, who's a teacher and answered every question we had - and helped us looking for answers if she didn't know it :-D We went on long walks pretty often and took books about local fauna nad flora and learned what we have around us and what it is good for :-D).

Mom says that she never talked to us like to "stupid little kids" and when somebody met us and asked us a question they were like "WHOA!" when we actually answered like a normal person and not a kid :-D
She says that sometimes people looked at her weird when she could carry a conversation with us, but she was all "Why the hell would talk to them like they are stupid, when they aren't?" :-D
Awesome childhood was awesome!
Filled with playing in mud, running around in rain, doing stuff like painting eggs with melted wax (we melted cryons) :-D

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

My nephew does rule! :)

I had the same problem in school when I was little, sadly stupid teacher didn't recognize why I didn't pay attention (because I was bored obviously) and wrote it don into my school files.

Yeah, exactly, this. The Nephew's dad was labeled as behavioral problems and they wanted to put him in the 'special' class because they thought he was stupid. Turns out, he is freakishly very smart and he was just bored out of his head. No one at the school was paying enough attention and he ended up dropping out of school, which is such a waste.

After-school activities would be great for The Nephew - he could really use the extra socialization. But the school is all the way on the other side of town and my brother wouldn't have any way to go pick him up afterwards. What he needs to do is make friends with more of the parents of the other kids, so he could get someone to help him with rides and stuff. My brother doesn't do a lot of cool things like your mom did (everything you have ever said about your mom, she just sounds like the awesomest mom ever!) but he is very good when The Nephew asks him something that they go look it up on the internet together to find out the answer.

My mom talks to all kids like they are stupid. She doesn't talk to them like they are actual people, you know. It bugs me so much, because she works with kids. She worked in the school system for years and then/now as a child care worker and she treats kids (not just the way she talks to them but the things she expects of them) like they are babies. She freaked out the other day because my 12 year old cousin was climbing a tree. Kids do that! And he's 12, he'll be fine. But she freaked out.

And yet, somehow, all of us kids used to carry on conversations with adults like we were adult too. I don't know where we got that from if mom talks to kids like they are babies.

[denig37]

Hope you guys manage to find a way for the picking up thing...if not he can always start learning languages (I speak 5 total), it's best starting up as a kid (he's in the best age right now), because his brain learns it differently and it will be much more easier on him if he decides learn them when he grows up some (trust me, know this from experience). You could get him some of these self-learning kits and maybe try with him (there's a chance that after a while his own family won't have a clue what he's saying if you don't :-D).

everything you have ever said about your mom, she just sounds like the awesomest mom ever!
She really is :-D She won't shy away from anything (like how babies are made for example :-D She explained it from the biological side, how it works, got us a brochure with pics too...Screw birds and bees or storks! :-D)

Dude! Freaking out because a kid climbed a tree? We have a whole bunch of trees in our garden and we all climbed each and every one of them...repeatedly :-D
We have this big pear tree that's good for sitting in it laughing at the hens that run underneath it :-D

BTW I have this spoiled little cousin, he's a complete idiot, my mom and lil' sis were visiting mom's parents for a few weeks (they live in a little cottage in summer) and he was there.
He started banging his head against the desk he was sitting at when mom wouldn't do what he wanted her to. Mom was like "meh, not my kid, not my problem, not my head, I'm not your damn server, you want to bang your brains out, feel free" and she went for a walk with lil' sis. :-D

And yet, somehow, all of us kids used to carry on conversations with adults like we were adult too. I don't know where we got that from if mom talks to kids like they are babies.
Haha, maybe some other influences were involved too :-D

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

He already speaks quite a bit of Spanish (more than I ever did even when I was taking Spanish). One of those audio kits on languages would be a good idea! When I worked in child care, we had this 3 year old girl who could do the entire opening song of Beauty and The Beast even though half of it was in French. I was so amazed because sometimes I couldn't understand her English and yet here she was speaking French.

Dude! Freaking out because a kid climbed a tree?

Idek. My cousin's kid is 12 and they treat him like such a baby. They won't even let him walk home from school and he lives like 5 blocks from the school. I was already steadily babysitting other people's kids by the time I was 12 and they won't let him stay home alone. I don't know what his dad's position is on all this but both my aunt and my mom keep telling me how 'immature' the kid is. I am like, "Maybe if everyone would stop treating him like a baby, he'd stop acting like one."

And the funny thing is, we used to climb trees all the time and my mom never freaked out then. We used to do insanely dangerous stuff like tying a skateboard to the back of a bike and then someone would sit on the skateboard and the bike rider would pedal as fast as he could down the steep hill that lead into the trucking route road. We were allowed to do that but this kid isn't allowed to climb a tree?

"meh, not my kid, not my problem, not my head, I'm not your damn server, you want to bang your brains out, feel free" and she went for a walk with lil' sis. :-D

Good for her!!! My mom and my aunt are always trying to reprimand other people's kids and it pisses me off. I am a big fan of "not my kid, not my problem," when it comes to misbehaving children.

[denig37]

I am a big fan of "not my kid, not my problem," when it comes to misbehaving children.

Yeah, what if the kid has some "artsy" parents that are against any restrictions? Then your mom would and aunt would only get a "lecture" about letting the kid's spirit free *acts like a dork on weed*

Wheeeeeeee :-D

[denig37]

Hee, got a little bonus for you - lil' sis in a tree :-D (it was made a few weeks ago when she was cutting the branches)

http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee418/Denig37/DSC00570.jpg

&

http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee418/Denig37/DSC00572.jpg

:-D

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

Wow, she is really up high in that tree!

/shakes head/ See, Mom, people climb trees!

[shirebound]

You have a terrific nephew, and he has a terrific Auntie. :)

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

You have a terrific nephew, and he has a terrific Auntie. :)

Thank you! I think so, but I may be biased. Just a little. ;)

[lizibabes.livejournal.com]

He sounds so cute and awesome, I'm glad he liked the bday story, I also love his plan to calm the Hulk down, when I was a kid I mainly asked why only his shirt ripped off, I knew why, I just loved making people try and explain it.

I need to see the Avengers, everyone says it's good and it is my kind of thing and I will probably still make jokes about why are they hiding the hulks green parts, because I'm a child.

It sounds really good all the different things your all geting him involved with, reading, art, sport, the teachers will have to just work harder to keep him interested in class, because from the sounds of it he'll just be getting smatter :D

Hmmmm time to think of a fictional meeting before sunday :D
Night.

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

The Nephew is the cutest. I wish I could put up pictures but I'd have to ask his parents and then they would want to see my journal and just...no.

when I was a kid I mainly asked why only his shirt ripped off, I knew why, I just loved making people try and explain it.

LOL I know, that always bugged me too. You were a little smartmouth, weren't you? ;)

Yes! Go see The Avengers! You will ship all the boys with all the boys! Plus, awesome superhero badassery!

why are they hiding the hulks green parts, because I'm a child.

I still giggle whenever anyone says the word 'balls'. Now I will giggle everytime the Hulk's clothes rip off too. ;)

The Nephew's teacher actually said he was smart enough to skip a grade but that his socialization skills weren't ready for that. He still has trouble sharing his toys. Unfortunately the school systems are so over-crowded and there aren't enough teachers, so the smart kids don't get that extra attention. Which is why it is so extra important that he get it at home. Thankfully, my brother seems to be doing a really good job with that.

[lizibabes.livejournal.com]

LOL yeah my blood family will never see my journal, I have people who are like family who read it, but that's different.

Really was a bit of a smartmouth, still am sometimes, I knew when to draw the line with parents and grandparents, but not teachers or other people who didn't always like it :)

A friend wants to go to the cinema this week, I might try and influnce them into seeing the Avengers instead and I will probably ship everyone. Who doesn't like a good superhero?

Maturity is over rated, when I was training to be a chef you couldn't say, balls, big, deep, ring, grese, ect with out it coursing a giggle

The skipping grade thing always seemed interesting to me, because the schools here don't do it. The smart enough/social skills things pretty interesting to me (because I'm a ned lol) But it's great that your brothers taking the time to do all the stuff he does, I know a lot of people who wouldn't. Your right about extra attention in schools, we have the same issue here.

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

My sister knows about my journal because she actually has had one for years. But the rest of my family? No way. I need a place where I can vent about them without worrying that they might read it.

The Avengers is good fun for everyone! Hope your friend agrees to go see it.

They do let kids skip a grade if their academics are so good that they are too advanced for the stuff they are learning. But they also take into consideration whether they are socially/emotionally ready to be in a grade with older kids. Like my nephew isn't because he doesn't socially interact with kids at the level that a 6 year old should (probably because he was an only child who hasn't attended daycare since he was like 3 - he isn't used to dealing with other kids).

[lizibabes.livejournal.com]

Two people know about my journal and they have journals as well, so there's no judgment or anything. And your right it's nice to have a place to rant with out certain people reading it.

It sounds like a good way of doing things, taking in both educational and emotional needs.

[wolfrider89.livejournal.com]

The Nephew is melting my heart with his awesomeness. I hope he had a fantastic birthday and that he liked his presents. :)

It's though with school, because you'd think it would be a good thing that the kid learns so fast and that they would encourage that, but what is the teacher supposed to do when they have have all these other kids to take into account too? It's a weird system. I hope his dad and him can get him into art and stuff, that sounds like fun. :)

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

The Nephew is melting my heart with his awesomeness.

Awwww. He melts my heart too. I can't wait to find time to tell you guys all about his party. It was the best kid's party I have ever been too. And he loved his presents. This remminds me that I have to call him and see how he liked his story since we didn't have time to read it at his party.

The school thing is weird because there are too many kids in each class and the teachers struggle so hard to help the kids who are falling behind, that the kids who are exceeding very well don't get the extra push they need. I went to a really good adult program in high school where my English teacher realized that I had basically been passing all my classes while asleep and decided to pull me aside while the others kids were working on their projects and make me do extra work that nobody else had to do. I was pissed at the time because I was working two jobs and I didn't want to have to work in school too, but I learned so much about writing from her that I am glad she did it.

[wolfrider89.livejournal.com]

I'm glad he had a good party, and that he liked his presents. :)

Yeah, it's like the kids who do well just have to sit and wait for everyone else to catch up, which would make anyone hate school. (I now have an image of Sherlock in first grade, just sitting there drumming his fingers while everyone else learns the alphabet. I bet that's why he's so rude all the time. :P) I feel bad for the teachers too, because it must be so frustrating to not have the time to challenge each kid individually with what that kid needs. Basically, the school system is fucked up.

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

(I now have an image of Sherlock in first grade, just sitting there drumming his fingers while everyone else learns the alphabet. I bet that's why he's so rude all the time. :P)

I bet that's why he is so rude all the time too! LOL Now I kind of want that fic. Like wee!Sherlock being so bored in class and then the new kid shows up and Sherlock wants to 'study' him and John just wants Sherlock to play blocks with him. (I started giggling so hard while typing that up that my sister was like, "What are you giggling about?") That would never happen though - Sherlock's family had money, they probably sent him to a realy good school.

[wolfrider89.livejournal.com]

(I started giggling so hard while typing that up that my sister was like, "What are you giggling about?")
Giggling right along with you. Oh, that would be awesome. And wee!John would decide that Sherlock was his best friend, and Sherlock would be all confounded by this but also secretly pleased.

That would never happen though - Sherlock's family had money, they probably sent him to a realy good school.
Dammit, don't destroy my dreams! ;) Maybe his mother is conducting an experiment? She sends Mycroft to the poshest, most renowned school in England, and then she sends Sherlock to the school down the street just to see who does better. Although that would be mean. Which, it's Sherlock's mom, so maybe she IS mean. Who knows?

This reminds me: have you had a chance to see season 2 yet? I heard it was gonna air in the US in May.

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry! I didn't mean to destroy your dreams! lol

I have been thinking about this fic idea so hard. I am not daring enough to write Sherlock as an adult but maybe I could tackle him as a little kid? It could work - even at a posh school (though yeah who knows maybe Sherlock's mom is a total bitch) Sherlock might be bored anyways and the teacher wouldn't know what to do with him. It's an AU anyway, so.../handwave/

Want this fic now.

I am watching Series 2 now! The finale airs this week. Scandal in Bulgravia was SO FUCKING AWESOME!!! I CAN'T EVEN...just AWESOME!!! And Houhds was scary, I was suprised by that - but man, Sherlock is such a bastard trapping John in that room and then making wolf noises at him. I know how the finale ends but even so, I can't wait to see John's face when it happens.

[wolfrider89.livejournal.com]

Handwaves are good. And now I really, really want that fic! *jedi mind tricks on you*

RIGHT?! The awesome! And GOD, the finale is like... SO GOOD. I can't even words. Just SO GOOD. I start tearing up just thinking about it, though. God.

And as for Sherlock drugging John and experimenting on him: Sherlock is a a bastard. I love him to bits, but damn. Poor John was so scared. *hugs John*

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

*jedi mind tricks on you*

Your Jedi mind tricks are no...use...on...me...oh crap. /adds to The Fucking List/

I HAVE TO WAIT TO WATCH THE FINALE UNTIL AFTER MY HOUSEGUESTS LEAVE BECAUSE THEY WILL TALK DURING THE WHOLE DAMN THING!!!

Yes, Sherlock is a bastard...that I love. Different than being a douchebag that I love, like say, Tony Stark.

[wolfrider89.livejournal.com]

/adds to The Fucking List/
*evil laugh*

I HAVE TO WAIT TO WATCH THE FINALE UNTIL AFTER MY HOUSEGUESTS LEAVE BECAUSE THEY WILL TALK DURING THE WHOLE DAMN THING!!!
Urgh. That is unacceptable behavior while watching Sherlock! Good choice to wait.

Yes, Sherlock is a bastard...that I love. Different than being a douchebag that I love, like say, Tony Stark.
We do love them rude and awesome, don't we?