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Having one of those weeks


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..where I look at my child and think, "Nice to meet you, Martian. Let me know if I can be any help."  And then I sit and twiddle my thumbs because I'm not sure what to do.

 

And there's no one to talk to because it would be 'bragging', and I'm not even sure what I would talk about other than my own feelings of...not inadequacy, but more not knowing what to do or if I even should. 

 

In other words, he decided to explode this week and jump levels in all subjects.  I watched him on Friday practice violin for an hour, discuss the intricacies of Dumbledore and Harry's relationship, explain circuitry and how batteries work to me, turn on PBS News Hour, look up the word 'hacking', and then turn off News Hour after the top stories because it got too depressing, and do algebra problems after to 'clear his head'(because they don't require him to think as much as MEP puzzles, just balance and find the right algorithms).  And I'm sitting over here like, don't you want this nice new playdough I made? :huh: :lol:   And there is no one in my life who understands what that feels like.

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Mine have sensory aversion to the smell of playdoh so they skip the playdoh playing. They didn't like the texture either but they don't like the texture of baking dough as well. They like Brookstone's Kinetic sand because the texture feels better to them and no obvious smell.

 

My oldest does math when he can't sleep because it would hopefully tire him out mentally (after about 2hrs) :)

 

ETA:

Sorry you have no one in real life that you can yak about this. You can always yak here.

Edited by Arcadia
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I hate most play dough myself.  It's why I end up making it.  It's more of a cloud dough that I change for the seasons (right now it's peppermint, after just doing gingerbread for December and cinnamon for November.)  I've never liked the feeling of traditional dough but my kids do/did.  I think I'm trying to hold on to childhood for him! :lol:

 

I never felt this way with my oldest.  The teen was always very laid back - smart, but steady and easy going and nice to plan for. Loved imaginary play. The 6yo is a ball of fire that decimates everything in his path as he burns through.  His intensity ebbs and flows. He is not PG, I don't think, but he works his butt off when he wants to know something.

 

 

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The 6yo is a ball of fire that decimates everything in his path as he burns through. His intensity ebbs and flows. He is not PG, I don't think, but he works his butt off when he wants to know something.

My kids can look like just any other kid :lol: Mine has unfortunately damaged a few keyboards, computer mice and headsets through fidgeting.

 

I have quite a few relatives including my kids behaving that way. It keeps us mentally and physically fit. When I was in college and bored revising for exams, I would babysit my intense nephews. My nieces' grandparents babysit so no chance to "borrow" a spirited intense niece.

 

My youngest niece is turning 6. After that the under 6 relatives would be my nieces and nephews children. My dad is the youngest so there is always at least a young child in my extended family up to "mischief" like the Dennis the menace comics.

 

It has been a fun but exhausting ride so far.

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I think of those as "Paging Professor X" days-come get this mutant and educate her, because I have no clue what to do!

 

The good news is that it gets better. As they get older, they become more capable of taking the reins and facilitating their learning on their own, so while you're still riding the tiger, at least you don't need to try to steer quite as much!

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I think of those as "Paging Professor X" days-come get this mutant and educate her, because I have no clue what to do!

 

The good news is that it gets better. As they get older, they become more capable of taking the reins and facilitating their learning on their own, so while you're still riding the tiger, at least you don't need to try to steer quite as much!

 

I think you hit the nail on the head. 

 

I felt, for the first time this week, truly redundant in this learning process.  My job is to buy things, drive him places, and be a sounding board.  Oh, and read to him.  He still likes that. I was shown what he did last night in math and got told "this took me a day, mom.  You should get started now so you can finish by Monday and we can go over it."  Thanks?  LOL

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I am feeling a little better today. :)

I took the boys to see Hidden Figures.  One of the trailers that played before it was for a movie called Gifted.  The 6yo had already fallen in love with the actress on Fuller House, so he was all breathless and giddy when he turned and said "she's REALLY smart!" :lol:  Meanwhile, I was silently high-fiving my inner self and saying "yes!  We don't have THAT problem!"

 

BTW, it's a fantastic movie.  The teen immediately came home to look to see if Katherine Goble had written any math books that he could add to his collection and the 6yo was introduced to math in different careers.  He now wants an obsolete job with NASA. :laugh:   We'll be stopping by Langley and the Air & Space museum in D.C. this summer so he'll have a bit of a background to what we'll see there. 
More interesting to me, though, was the difference between that generation and now.  The 6yo was confused over Jim Parson's character - the irrational meanness of socially accepted bigotry did not fall in line with how Sheldon would react.  And having to explain to him that Katherine *couldn't* use the bathroom she walked past (among other things)  was eye-opening.  Meanwhile the teen was sheltered enough to look skeptically at a time when women could do the work, but not be allowed the title and pay that went with it.   They have always seen people as on their own merit - but it did bring up some good conversations of explicit gender bias still common in the workplace.

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