I'm so pleased to have found this group. I think I am just starting out on the journey that your group has been on for a while.

My son is 2 1/2 years old and reads at a 2nd grade level (word identification, not necessarily comprehension of concepts/themes) and does simple math. He is our first child and although we are older and considered ourselves ready to parent, each day's developments with Graham seem to bring more and more bewilderment and confusion. The topic of hothousing is one I have considered extensively as we start down this path, because I am very unsure of myself at this point and how to advocate most effectively with him.

My husband and I are voracious readers and made a conscious decision before Graham was born to eschew TV completely for him in favor of books, toys, etc. We read to him A LOT over the first 1 1/2 years simply as a way to fill time and keep him occupied. I was home full time with him until he was 18 months. At 18 months he went to a full time institutional day care (Goddard School) and I returned to work. He started reading, as opposed to memorizing, at around 2.

Graham's obsession (as we jokingly call it) with numbers, letters...now progressing to how words (all of them!) are spelled, and the concept of telling time has been completely self directed. We answer his question, provide him with computer time (limited), a never ending supply of books, etc, but never really sit down and drill him per se.

Graham has a late July birthday so he will be the youngest in his kindergarten class a little more than 2 years from now when he starts school.

I have no idea what to do. I am at a loss. As each day passes and the mental jumps he makes get larger and larger, I get more scared that I'm really going to screw this up. Either by downplaying it too much for fear of being labeled as one of "those" parents, or focusing too much on it and not giving him the normalcy I want him to have.

Sorry to ramble. Just glad to be here and read about your experiences.

Catherine