Oct
25
2012

Raising a genius

“I tell you, I really think my 12 month-old boy is a genius! Just today, I was playing some music on my iPad and he came near to increase the volume! He can actually adjust the volume!”

Sounds familiar? In this present world we live in, too many parents think we are raising an Einstein just because our kids can do things that we are incapable of when we were younger. As much as we wish for them to be born a genius, the fact is, most of them are just privileged.

These kids are just above average due to the exposure they got. Kids these days have better access to information. They have better education (am not talking about school) and almost everything is specialised for them.

While they can have better IQ, they dont necessarily have better EQ. Some kids are so lost when you take away their gadgets; they don’t know what to do with their hands. They start fidgeting and getting all restless. They don’t seem pretty much intelligent anymore without them (the gadgets).

While parents are busy educating their kids by providing them the latest gadget to keep up todate with the times , we forget one most important thing that a kid needs.

We forget that what a kid needs most is just BEING a kid!

We make them mature too soon and deprived them of a childhood that WE got in abundance.

We pay an arm and a leg to send them to some enclosed place called ‘gym for kids’ so that they can run in a padded area and should they fall *HORROR* there will be mattresses and MORE to cushion the impact. We willingly part with our hard earn money just so that our kids will feel no pain.

Reality is, the cruel world we live in is unlike that at all. In this world, when we fall, we’ll bleed. We don’t usually die from a knee scrape and the wound would heal faster than you can even learn to pronounce ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ but parents are just too afraid. We want to keep our children in a bubble, away from harm. We do not let them DO things for themselves.

“No! The knife is too sharp!”

“Don’t touch that! The water is too hot!”

You know something? The kids WON’T know how sharp the knife is because they won’t ever learn the real meaning of sharp. They won’t know what HOT means as parents will always blow (or even buy a small battery operated fan) to cool down the soup or anything before it even reaches the kid.

I’m not saying we need to be careless and expose our kids in harm’s way. I’m just saying don’t restrict their movements.

Kids need to explore to learn. Don’t stop them, guide them instead. Do not tell them what to do, let them do what they feel like doing. Let them use the scissors. Guide them how to use it.

They need to FEEL how grainy the sand is and by feeling is not buying them the ‘TOUCH and FEEL book’ but letting them PLAY in the sand pit!

They need to get stuck in muck to know how sticky a situation can be should they fall into a puddle. Stand back and watch how they get themselves out of the mess.

That is when they truly learn. These are life’s lessons that you can’t just simply download from any app.

These kids are the true geniuses that will be able to THINK and stand out.

Try raising a happy kid instead of turning them into robots. A happy kid showers you with hugs and kisses all over. A robotic child will only turn to you should his device needs charging.

The choice is yours…

18 Comments + Add Comment

  • //

    Yes, teach good moral and family values. That is most important. Everything else is secondary.

  • //

    Good one, Merryn… :)
    People might think why am I so cruel by just watching my kids when they fall down or hurt themselves…. I believe they can get up on their find their own solution….

  • //

    Very well said. Thanks for this reminder.

  • //

    Nice sharing Merryn. I fully agree on what you said. The world parents give to their child today is really not the real society that they are going to deal with in the future. For me, I will let my boy explore on his own, and when he fall, i will tell him to try again and stand up. Instead of playing with ipad or electronics, we go to the park. Children is still children. They learn through exploring and playing.

  • //

    This is a wonderful sharing. Thank you Merryn for the reminder:)

  • //

    YES, morale is more important.. I don’t mind my girl learn slower in her ABC, but she must have a basic manace and don’t get on my nerve for that. I won’t scold her if she can’t recognise her W & M, but she will sure kena if she doesn’t say thank you to things she got. :p

    My girl has been in the kitchen with me since she started crawling, but I never tell her ‘dont’ in any way but instead just warn her of the danger..

  • //

    Thanks for sharing. Very great post you wrote.

  • //

    I like this post, well-written!

    I prefer to raise a healthy bubbly kid to an anti-social genius who sit behind the computer screen.

  • //

    This is really a good read especially for parents and parents-to-be. A kid should really have a kid’s life… unless they wanted differently as a genius. Haha

  • //

    This is a nice sharing Merryn, very useful for all parents thesedays.

  • //

    Ohh..gosh I always restrict them doin this n that…because I cant tolerate the mess.

    As they grow older now….I started to be a lil more linear..a bit only. Cos i can ask them to clean aftermath. That’s why Ethel always love going to you.ahahahhahahahah

  • //

    Oh I totally agree with you!

    Kids need to learn from experience. We can shelter them all their life and they can’t live in a cocoon. Sure, they would have to experience pain (physical or emotional) at one time or the other in their life but that’s part of life. We should be there to guide them and make them grow to be a better and compassionate human being. Not a robot. :)

  • //

    I’m not the “over-protect” kind of mother, I’ll just let her run and fall, this is what they should learn!

  • //

    Nice post, Merryn. It is so true. Luckily I didn’t expose gadget and those apps to my girls. I still like them laying their hands on crafts, books and dolls.

  • //

    Kids are kids….they still have to go through many learning curves in life…..

  • //

    Setuju..absolutely agree..let them know how does it feel when they jatuh la kan…thats how they learn dlm kehidupan..

  • //

    yes. we got to be protective up to a certain degree…the rest is up to them to experience. My kids know very well that they won’t be given those gadgets their friends and cousins have. we allow them to get their hands dirty on arts and drawing on papers and clean the mess up after that. We as parents should provide the guidance along the way.

  • //

    Hey, I have to agree with you. That is so right. Kids just have to get dirty, need to have full clothes of sand and ground, need to clime, need to jump. They have to live.

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I am a mother to two boys; Ethan and Ayden and a wife to Darling William. I'm a stay at home mum who blogs to break the monotony of life and to avoid feeling jaded. Would love to get to know all the Super Mommies and Daddies and Babies or Singles out there with the hope that we can learn more from each other. Most of all, I am a happy person, and I hope YOU are too.

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