Hmmm. It sounds slightly like synesthesia to me, but I've never actually heard of a form of synesthesia where numbers were assigned to objects. For me, the numbers 1-12 have always had distinct genders, colors and personalities. That's a pretty well documented form of synesthesia. I always assumed I was that way because I was bored in math. But years later I found my mother was the same way and she is *terrible* at math and was never bored. She is, however, extremely intelligent in other areas.
For what it's worth, my synesthesia (as well as my brother's and my mother's) makes the family members who don't have it slightly uncomfortable as well, although they've learned to tune us out if we start debating whether 7 is male or female.
She's female and I refuse to budge on that.
