How can I inspire my 7 year old genius?

[jesse73]

Just another type of advice from me, ICrissy, although I believe that you as a mum already is painfully aware of it.
If your son, at the moment, is intellectually a lot more mature than his age peers, there is a great risk he can start feeling lonely. That is NOT a good thing, for any kid.
Thus, finding a chess club, or some other venue where he can socialize with others above average matured intellect will be very important, too, not just feed him with discipline or new mental challenges.

Please don't segregate him and only have him socialize with only chess club kids. It will benefit him if he learns to socialize and interact with all types of children and people. There are enough sheltered intellectuals who cannot empathize or interact with non intellectuals in this world.

 

[arildno]

How could he become "segregated" from other kids by joining a chess club?

 

[Czcibor]

Please don't segregate him and only have him socialize with only chess club kids. It will benefit him if he learns to socialize and interact with all types of children and people. There are enough sheltered intellectuals who cannot empathize or interact with non intellectuals in this world.

I've got a mixed feeling about your advice. In kindergarten, primary and middle school I interacted with quite many kids. "Interacted" means here: I was clearly not part of the group and they persistently tried to bully me. Tried... Thanks to such interactions in kindergarten and early primary school my melee skills were rather good. The main social skill that it gave is teaching me how to stop carrying about social acceptance, for other social skills is see no positive impact of such interactions. Contact with bright and reasonably behaving people on bigger scale started after I started attending very good secondary school.

I'd advice something exactly opposite. Make a list of events and activities that attract only intelligent kids. In my country there are for example in schools extracurricular lessons for kids especially interested in math/chemistry/biology/computer science/whatever. Send your kid to a few of such such and check which he likes or where he meets nicer kids.

 

[OmCheeto]

...
So...I think you're a lot more intelligent than you think!

This was my first thought.

icrissy, how old is your other child?

 

[kith]

I've got a mixed feeling about your advice. In kindergarten, primary and middle school I interacted with quite many kids. "Interacted" means here: I was clearly not part of the group and they persistently tried to bully me. Tried... Thanks to such interactions in kindergarten and early primary school my melee skills were rather good. The main social skill that it gave is teaching me how to stop carrying about social acceptance, for other social skills is see no positive impact of such interactions. Contact with bright and reasonably behaving people on bigger scale started after I started attending very good secondary school.

I'd advice something exactly opposite. Make a list of events and activities that attract only intelligent kids. In my country there are for example in schools extracurricular lessons for kids especially interested in math/chemistry/biology/computer science/whatever. Send your kid to a few of such such and check which he likes or where he meets nicer kids.

I don't think intelligence as in IQ and niceness are correlated. The problem is not that your classmates were not as intelligent as you but that they didn't respect you because you were different. You suggest searching for an environment where the kid isn't different. jesse73 probably has an environment in mind which respects diversity and I also think that this is better.

 

[Czcibor]

I don't think intelligence as in IQ and niceness are correlated. The problem is not that your classmates were not as intelligent as you but that they didn't respect you because you were different. You suggest searching for an environment where the kid isn't different. jesse73 probably has an environment in mind which respects diversity and I also think that this is better.

I did not even assume that's technically possible to fully govern kids environment, thus expected that diversity is assured anyway. What could be done by parent is only increasing chances of contacting more similar kids, which I strongly encourage.

I think that is also one additional factor - source of models. I suspect that the majority of people on this forums have parents with at least master degree, which was shaping your own expectations for future. (As kid I wanted to do the same job as my father. I finished similar subject on the same university and so far ended in dramatically different job ;) ) This kid has here a disadvantage, thus learning by absorption of some ideas from peers seems for me reasonable.

 

[kith]

I did not even assume that's technically possible to fully govern kids environment, thus expected that diversity is assured anyway. What could be done by parent is only increasing chances of contacting more similar kids, which I strongly encourage.

You are right that a certain amount of diversity is always present. What is often absent is the respect for diversity, e.g. children who are different get bullied. And that's not a given. Schools and social groups are different and it doesn't need to get as radical as Summerhill to find a place where people interact more respectfully.

 

[OmCheeto]

This is starting to remind me of why I initially hesitated pushing the "Submit Reply" button in both this, and the "Snooze Bar" thread.

There are 7 billion people on this planet. Although we tend to want to try and categorize people into groups, and want to have solutions that fit those groups, I think every person is unique, and requires a unique solution.

Of course, to have a solution, you first need to define the problem.

The first problem I see, is that the original post, is full of opinion:

Hi everyone. I am not a genius.

opinion

But I am told I have a 7 year old genius.

opinion

I am pretty dumb

see opinion #1

and was wondering if anyone out there could just please tell me what I could do to inspire him?

Inspire him for what?

He is VERY AWARE that he is brilliant

opinion

, but I am discovering he is what's known as a "lazy genius".

opinion

When i try to get him to do homework, he is extremely bored and says i know all this and just shouts out the math answers or whatever we are working on.

Fact!

I am unsure how to proceed

Yay! This is why I think you are not as dumb as you present yourself

with a child who is smarter than me.

opinion

If no one knows

They will supply you with their opinion.

I thank you for your time.

You are quite welcome.

 

[thankz]

get him some books to read, it'll help mold his mind
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-GREAT-ILLUSTRATED-CHILDRENS-CLASSICS-HARDBACK-BARONET-BOOKS/310873789050?rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D163%26meid%3D4907417524639014812%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D1088%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D121276772291%26

if you don't like buying books take him to the library and let him pick out what he wants.

 

[jesse73]

I don't think intelligence as in IQ and niceness are correlated. The problem is not that your classmates were not as intelligent as you but that they didn't respect you because you were different. You suggest searching for an environment where the kid isn't different. jesse73 probably has an environment in mind which respects diversity and I also think that this is better.

Yup exactly on all points.

It is rare that a child get bullied for being "smart" however it is common for a child who is smart to be bullied because he is very aware that he is smart and gathers a sense of entitlement. This is as true for adults as children - that people do not like getting the impression that you think you are better than them. The lack of entitlement is part of respect.

It is useful if a child can learn this as he grows up and learn respect that should be given across the board for all intelligence ranges.