I love the cute stories - especially because they play such a role in our own understanding of our children. The data-driven analysis is good for administrative situations, and for convincing other people that accommodations are appropriate, but isn't it true that it's these little episodes that really give us our sense of our own kids? That's the way it is for me, anyhow.
Yesterday, for instance, was one of those days where half of the time I was thinking, "Meh, he's not so smart after all." For one thing, DS4.1 has started the "I don't want to do it - it's too hard!" complaint. I find myself thinking, "Ok, so he's not really that interested/self-motivated/crazed for knowledge. He's different from the kids I read about." But then, as we're driving in to camp he spots the license plate in front of us: 6677ZI. "Look," he says, "11s!"
But the episode at dinner was the kicker. The conversation was about baseball, and our visiting French student was trying desperately to follow all the English. DS4, who goes to a French school, looked at the visiting student, looked at the rest of us, looked at the visiting student, and then pulled my sleeve. "Daddy," he whispered, "I'm a switch-talker." Once I finally understood what he was talking about I nearly fell on the floor laughing. Flashes of brilliance is the right phrase. It's the dark in between the flashes that confuses me.
BB
