What talents do your children have that you lack?

[Laura Corin]

Hobbes is very much better at social interaction than husband or I. This morning, a neighbour came over to drop off a Christmas card, catching both husband and me in PJs. We invited her in for coffee, but she's rather shy and we don't know each other well, so conversation was a bit stilted. At one point, in a pause, Hobbes suddenly said, 'Excuse me, can I ask a question?' The neighbour said that of course he could. Hobbes continued, 'What's your name?' She told him her name, and the conversation picked up again.

 

After the neighbour had gone, husband asked Hobbes whether he had missed the initial introductions. 'Oh no,' he replied, 'I just thought I'd try to make it easier for her to talk starting again.'

 

What skills do your children surprise you with?

 

Laura

[Guest]

My son is a carbon copy of me in looks, but he's got his daddy's brain. The way that he operates and thinks sometimes blows me away. He solves problems in ways that I wouldn't think to. He is very mechanically inclined, and I often find him taking things apart that he shouldn't (like the gate on the side of our house!) and is then able to put it back together. I hope he grows up to be just like his daddy! :)

 

Not sure about my dd yet. The first time she threw a tantrum, my mil looked at me and said, "Well, she didn't get that from OUR side of the family." Um, thanks a lot.

[coffeefreak]

Art. Art, Art, Art.

[newbie]

Art. Art, Art, Art.

 

ditto

[lionfamily1999]

In Pre-K, one of Andrew's classmates had an "accident." I actually got a call home from his teacher about all this. The other kids were pointing and laughing and 'eww'ing. Andrew told them all they needed to be quiet now, they were being mean and that was wrong. My normally, extremely introverted (to the point where the school wanted him in counseling) son is able to stand up and be heard in defense of others. He was not even friends with this little boy, at that point Andrew didn't have any friends, he preferred sitting quietly and reading or coloring.

 

I'm astounded by the amount of steel my son carries in his back bone.

 

Jocelyn, is waaaaaay more outgoing than me. She's got tons of friends and is involved in everything.

 

Luke has a threshold for pain that seriously concerns me. He is also completely lacking in fear.

[Parrothead]

Dance, dance, dance. I think if I can get her to a place for intense dance she'd at least give NYC a shot.

[Storm Bay]

Both my girls. Drawing and colour. My eldest knows all about colour (but not about matching clothes!). I often check with her now.

 

My eldest--sports. So much more athletic than I ever could have hoped to be. Of course, dh has natural ability that he wasn't able to develop, but he can't swim like she does. Plus seeing and doing--she once saw a picture of a karate move (where you run, jump, twist sideways in midair then kick) and did it almost perfectly the first time because she'd seen the picture. I cannot do that!

 

My 10 yo, such empathy and kindness at times. She once let a boy with special needs read to her (he was asking many kids, and they'd all said no) and when he was done, she said, "that was interesting" with enthusiasm (btw, she reads like a Philadelphia lawyer, but he didn't know that--when I was 10 I hated listening to poor readers), and then, when she lost a friend to cancer she said, "I wish it had been me because I've lived longer." I would have been far too self-centred at 10 to think of that no matter how sad I was.

 

My ds--physics thinking, being able to make great conversation on the phone at a young age. But there are many ways where he's a lot like me, too, and some where he's like dh, but in physics, not like us.

[Jean in Newcastle]

dd7 - I don't think she has any bones in her body, she's so flexible. She's our gymnast - a talent that neither dh nor I have.

 

ds11 - has surpassed us in computer ability.

[Country Mouse]

My ds has an innate rhythm and is a natural drummer/percussionist. He has been this way since he was an infant. He is a musician.

Dh and I have no such talent.

Also, my ds is an extreme extrovert while dh and I are introverted and sometimes downright socially awkward. I'm not sure that's a talent exactly but it is one of those things that makes dh and me look at each other and wonder where it came from.

[Zelda]

My kids exceed me in just about everything that doesn't require age and experience to master. My older daughter has a remarkable ability to really suss out a situation and get to the nitty gritty of it in a rational manner. So-and-so says they are mad but I think their feeling are hurt. You yelled at me when I did this but I know you felt bad about it later. My son has a dead pan sense of humor and good comedic timing. The baby can pull herself together from the middle of a tantrum with remarkable control.

[swellmomma]

My oldest son is a natural artist, I on the other hand can barely draw a stickman and always wish I could draw better.

 

DD9 is so outgoing, she more than makes up for my social ineptness when we are going out, she can make anyone feel comfortable. SHe also seems to have a natural musical ability, which is what I have always wanted to have, she was able to sing back rhythms very young and is picking up the violin very quickly.

 

Ds5 is a different sort of child. He is so caring and compassionate, he has strong feelings for animals and the earth. At the museum he apologizes to hte stuffed animals for being killed, calls them his friends, talks to every animal he sees. Yells at people who mistreat the the earth(littering etc), I know I don't do that. He refuses to accept things for himself unless there is enough for his siblings even if they are not there(like if someone offers him a cookie).

 

DD1 is already showing signs of having both natural artistic and musical abilities. She draws etc already, and as far as music goes, can sing/hum back a tune/song you sing to her, she loves the piano and actually plucks individual keys not just banging on it etc. She is still very very young so I don't know if these will grow into talents like with my bigger kids but I hope so.

 

I have always had a desire to have a skill in some sort of fine arts area, I always wanted to dance(2 left feet), sing (tone deaf), or draw(yikes) but am completely hopeless in all of that. I am also a wallflower and don't read social cues well meaning Socially I am a dunce as well. I don't know where they get it.

Edited December 19, 2008 by swellmomma

[Annie Laurie]

My oldest son is better in social situations than I am, also. But he gets it from his dad. He makes friends with everyone very easily- when we moved, he had made 4 new friends in the neighborhood within a few days, and wherever we go, he ends up chatting with people- at a store, he always "meets" the cashier. Adults always think he's the nicest boy, I think they're not used to kids who feel comfortable interacting with adults.

 

My 8 year old teaches the rest of t stuff all day long- he has an amazing memory and a real curiosity and love of learning new things, so by the time he has told us about it for the fourth time, we all have it committed to memory too!

 

Dd6 is extremely artistic and has a real eye for putting colors together and styles together when it comes to clothing. She makes the coolest creations.

 

Ds4 is the most loving person I have ever met, and has amazing people skills. At 4, he has figured out things like complimenting ladies on their hair or new outfit, and when ds 14's friend came over, little ds said "Cool shoes!" LOL. He knows how to fit in with the guys and the ladies.

[Jill- OK]

...formally a math whiz now.

 

Yesterday we were sitting at the table, Singapore 1b open in front of us. They're doing subtraction with renaming, and the problem was something like 51-5. They explain it as 40, and then 11-5, yielding 46. I was going to explain the 'old-fashioned' way of renaming, how when you look at the whole number you could break it into parts (blah, blah, blah) and look at the ones' place first (blah, blah, blah) see how it looks like 1-5? Well, in that case you would...

 

Dd interrupts me and says, "Oh, yeah...that would be negative four."

 

Silence.

 

"Um...yeah. It would be."

 

I was going to suggest renaming the tens, calling it 11-5, which gives you six, and then add that to the 40 left over, but...instead I learned that if you think of it as 1-5 giving you a negative 4, and subtract that from the leftover 50...you can get the same answer.

 

I might just cancel the algebra tutor and let dd tutor my oldest, lol. ;-)

[CactusPair]

ds: artistic ability with sculpting, drawing, painting; aptitude for baseball; math skills; acrobatics; keen moral insight at young age

 

dd: singing and musical ear: drawing, craft and dress creativity; math skills; acrobatics; confidence with dogs at young age; supreme easy-goingness & self-acceptance

 

 

i'm proud of them and jealous, too!:001_smile:

[elegantlion]

My son has the skill of negotiation. I do not have that, dh does. I'm in trouble if both of them want something, I never win an argument.

 

As for something neither of us has, perhaps seeing patterns in things. He's very pattern oriented and once he discovers the pattern in any subject he never forgets it.

[Testimony]

He is very athletic and I don't know where he gets it. Not one of us (dh and I) are athletic. I was always the kid picked last in gym when they were making teams.

 

According to my older son (who always gets picked last), my younger son is always picked first in AWANA during game time. When kids are choosing who they want on their team my younger son is fought over. He tried out for travelling soccer and got on the team. I do not know where my son got this skill. He is starting to excel in sports. It seems to be his strength. His coaches feel that he could probable get a scholarship some day. Is he that good?:confused:

 

I cannot help him to improve on these skills because I have two left feet when it comes to sports.

 

Merry Christmas!

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Jenny in Atl]

Mac is much better at spelling and writing.

Fi is sooooooo muchhhhhhh moreeeeeee relaxedddddddddd (also much more of a scientist, messing with things till they work or make sense).

 

They truly are my teachers.

[Audrey]

Hobbes is very much better at social interaction than husband or I. This morning, a neighbour came over to drop off a Christmas card, catching both husband and me in PJs. We invited her in for coffee, but she's rather shy and we don't know each other well, so conversation was a bit stilted. At one point, in a pause, Hobbes suddenly said, 'Excuse me, can I ask a question?' The neighbour said that of course he could. Hobbes continued, 'What's your name?' She told him her name, and the conversation picked up again.

 

After the neighbour had gone, husband asked Hobbes whether he had missed the initial introductions. 'Oh no,' he replied, 'I just thought I'd try to make it easier for her to talk starting again.'

 

What skills do your children surprise you with?

 

Laura

 

T is very good at drawing. I can't draw a stick person to save my life.

[AnnetteB]

My children can carry a tune :) and most of them have an excellent grasp of math concepts and can do calculations in their heads. I must have paper and pencil!

[camibami]

My oldest is so super confident- I wish I could be that way! She is very outgoing and fearless, it is wonderful to watch. She will bungee jump, put on plays for strangers, and stand up to bullies.

 

My youngest is so athletic, DH is sort of athletic, me not at all. She is graceful and coordinated, flexible and strong. She's a rhythmic gymnast, but so far she's excelled at every sport she ever tried.

[rafiki]

.

[beansprouts]

My children are all very athletic, and I am a total clutz.

[Donna]

My boys can talk to anyone about anything. They have a way of making people feel important when they talk to them. All three of my kids can get up in front of people and play music like it is nothing...they love the limelight unlike me.

 

My oldest can create beats for any song he hears. He is more athletic than I ever was. He is my electronic equipment go-to guy. He can figure out how anything works.

 

My middle son can hear what key songs are in to accompany his sister. He is so creative and invents or improves things all the time. He also can fix anything around the house.

 

My dd can play any music she hears after 1-2 hearings (it amazes me all the time). She is smarter than I could even think of being...things come so easily for her. She is creative and can spend hours crafting or writing poetry/stories. I am not creative though I would love to have an idea to write about.

[Peela]

My son has excellent social skills (when he wants to), but then, so does dh. Not me though.

 

Dd is just all round pretty rounded, self confident, loving, giving, very artistic, and just a nice person to be around (most of the time!). What a person should be, really :) By her age I was a mess, depressed, cut off from my parents and feeling very alone in the world. She is quite the opposite.

[Jenny in Florida]

Both of my kids are more socially adept than I ever was, and, although this isn't strictly a talent, they both have much more self-confidence and poise.

 

My son, especially, is like a little diplomat. Someone we know referred to him a couple of years ago as "a 40-year-old man in a little boy suit." It blows me away sometimes.

 

They both have various performing talents and the confidence to put them to use.

 

My daughter, though, sings. And that should probably be capitalized: She Sings. I've always loved singing and have sung with church choirs and such, but she just blows me out of the water. She has such control of her voice and so much understanding of where it comes from and how to use it.

 

Of everything my kids can do, that singing voice is the one thing I truly envy.

[kalanamak]

Snazzy dresser and neat handwriting. Must be autosomal recessive.

[Guest Lorna]

Our eleven year old son surprised me the other day by listening to a news item on the radio about the pound slipping against the euro and saying, 'What they should do is to make fewer pounds and not tell anyone.'

All I could say was, 'Yes, well yes. Hey that might just work.'

He really thinks quite differently from both my husband and me. He has a huge capacity for learning and understanding machines and civil engineering problems. He thinks exactly like his Great-Grandad. Sometimes I wonder if his ideal education would be to live with his Great-Grandad; ds could cook and do all the practical stuff my Grandad needs (because ds is good at this too) and Grandad could teach him all he knows.

Dd (13) has surpassed me in maths, language arts, history and Latin. Luckily the only times she asks for help, she has it figured out as soon as I pick up my pen to start my own lengthy calculations. I thank Singapore Maths for this! She always has her facts right and has always had a remarkable memory ( unlike me!).

They can both ice-skate and ski; beat us at chess; sail.

I guess this is why I don't really consider myself a teacher most of the time. I am very careful not to present myself as a person who knows it all, or even very much. If they ask me a difficult question I insist they look it up in an encyclopaedia or ask an expert. I look to enable and find the right opportunities for them. They are both inspiring me to learn things I would never have learned otherwise.

Did I mention how proud I am of them? :tongue_smilie:

Edited December 20, 2008 by Lorna

[JWSJ]

My son has excellent social skills unlike my wife or I. It's unbelieveable what he can get accomplished or get people to do when he talks with them.

 

But our children are athletic and also absorb information and skills at an impressive rate.

 

My wife (who is a fine artist) says that her children are so much better at Art than she is that she'll be remembered as the mother of Picasso or such (rather than a great artist herself).

 

They're both very goal oriented too.

 

It's weird.

[Catherine]

My eldest is such a talented musician-not a very hard worker at it, sadly, but he has such natural talent. Brag alert ahead:

 

he is teaching himself Bach's Chaconne on the violin. He's had lessons for years, but is not a dedicated practicer-until this piece. He heard Joshua Bell play it in that Washington Post story "Pearls Before Breakfast" and just became captivated.

 

He's also a really good athlete. I can't figure...dh and I both have joked about what two left feet we have. How did we ever come up with such a graceful and strong child?

[Terri NS]

My eldest is an incredible vocalist, whilst I am tone deaf and not musically inclined at all. DH has a nice speaking voice (used for recordings) but does not sing or play instruments. She wanted to sing at a public event when she was 9 and DH and I didn't really know she could even carry a tune until we seen her on stage. We've been told she has "perfect pitch" which creates a real challenge for her teacher now that we have her in lessons. She needs to learn theory by using unfamiliar pieces or she can play/sing by ear and does not rely on sheet music. The downside is she is incredibly annoyed, almost physically by some sounds.

[fivetails]

My eldest is an incredible vocalist, whilst I am tone deaf and not musically inclined at all. DH has a nice speaking voice (used for recordings) but does not sing or play instruments. She wanted to sing at a public event when she was 9 and DH and I didn't really know she could even carry a tune until we seen her on stage. We've been told she has "perfect pitch" which creates a real challenge for her teacher now that we have her in lessons. She needs to learn theory by using unfamiliar pieces or she can play/sing by ear and does not rely on sheet music. The downside is she is incredibly annoyed, almost physically by some sounds.

 

Okay you just freaked me out here. :lol:

 

I was coming to write about our dd11 - but you've already done that for me. :tongue_smilie:

 

Heh. Seriously though. How old is your dd? Ours will be 12 in January and it's the same situation, right down to me being pretty much tone deaf and unable to do anything with music. (dh is the same as me) dd11 doesn't read music - she plays by ear, and when she was in public school, her music teacher said she had that "perfect pitch" as well....

 

Neat! :D

[Rhonda in TX]

Art. Art, Art, Art.

 

I think she got her ability form my dad, but it sure skipped a generation.

[ereks mom]

I have practically NO rhythm -- I have a hard time clapping on beat to music! I can NOT dance. My dc have much more musical talent than I do. I can read music, but I do not "get" music theory. I can carry a tune and I enjoy singing in the choir, but no solos! Dh is even less musically inclined than I am. By contrast, ER is a natural at music theory and can play several instruments, and EK has a gorgeous voice and natural rhythm.

[Stacy in NJ]

My oldest lives in a state of perpetual relaxation and good humor. Very little upsets him or causes him discomfort. He's very funny, talkative and has an easy time making friends. He's also very persuasive. He's able to get people, primarily his brother and his friends, to do things for him. He's also very mechanically talented. He's a collector, builder, tinkerier.

 

My youngest was born with an innate sense of right and wrong. Rarely does he need to be corrected or instructed on issues of why or why not behave in a certain way. If he does do or say something he shouldn't have its pretty much not necessary to punish or reprimand him. He's naturally hard on himself. Any punishment his father or I dole out is entirely secondary to his own feelings of remorse and guilt. He's also my extreme sports kid. He's a daredevil, risk taker - physically.

 

Personality wise, my kids are all themselves.