Blessing or Burden?

[d9f1c7]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...nd-hampshire-17702463
Obviously Intellegence helps but I'm worried here that she will have no childhood because of what obviously are pushy parents.

[emmie]

how are they pushy if she taught herself to read?

[d9f1c7]

4 year old doing a mensa test?

[Prudie]

If she has no childhood it will only be because she will not be interested herself in kiddy things, I don't see anything that suggests she has pushy parents.

[mike11111]

I submit that it is impossible for someone to teach himself to read.

[ummmm]

She could have learnt to read from her parents reading to her. They might not have consciously tried to teach her.

[naomi24]

You can’t put brains where there are none and her parents may not be pushy – they may just be trying to give her the best opportunities in life as any responsible parent would. She’s clearly a bright little girl, but I doubt very much that she learnt to read at the tender age of 2 without a considerable amount of help.

[DTCwordfan]

they can read at this age, assuming top twos. My youngest was away by just over 3 - yes they need coaching, but they need to want to read and that drives the learning and coaching. She devours books and always has done so......

[ummmm]

Depends how much she could read at two. My youngest son was 2 when his brother started school. I sat down each afternoon doing the flash cards with him with my 2 year old on my lap. My 2 year old learnt them as well. Just the basics, mind. Like 'it' 'at' 'the'...

I wonder did it make a difference because he's a complete book boffin now.

[naomi24]

I don't doubt that she could read at that age - just that she taught herself.

[craft1948]

My daughter could read at the age of 2................she was bright academically but not exceptional.

[DTCwordfan]

happened in maths as well and what ummmm said about the "soak up"

We were in the car and I was testing the elder one's multiplication (yes I believe in some rote and also teaching the mechanism). I asked "What is seven times five?"

A little voice, not the elder one, behind me said "Dad, that's thirty-five and that's seven groups of five."

A month shy of four - and she could practice the logic too if she didn't know the answer.

[jake-the-peg]

The trouble with child progedies is not many of them keep up.

It's remarkable when a 9 year old can play a classical Piano concerto - by the time they reach 19 it's not so special.

We all know of progidies that became special like Mozart and Gauss but there are many more who never fulfill that promise.

Remember Ruth Lawrence who was a Child Progedy in Maths? - she became a mathematician and a preofessor of maths but she's over 40 now and didn't exactly set the world alight.

it sets an expectation that they may find hard to live up to

[Mrsspagnoli57]

MENSA tests don't actually prove intelligence -just the ability to do the tests. MENSA one huge con trick-I've worked with and been at university with MENSA members with high results on IQ tests-their grasp on general knowledge and resulting exam results have been average. Just another piece of news to 'wrap the chips in'

[rojash]

Being super intelligent can also severely restrict your career choices.
Apparently, she's already received a letter from Hampshire Police telling her not to bother applying for a job.

[ummmm]

lol @ rojash.

[d9f1c7]

she did a Mensa test For Funks Sake! had she heard of mensa? QED pushy parents, geddit?