My 5 year old (nearly 6) loves dinosaurs. Loves, loves, loves them, ever since he was a little past one. It took us a while to realize what was going on, but by the time he was ~2 1/2, he knew the names of a ton of them. He would carry on a conversation for 20 or 30 minutes or more in which he would name his favorite dinosaurs and make up stories about them or talk about how T. Wex had two fingers but Allosauwus had thwee and... etc.
Anyway, the typical reaction of people to this has always been to smile beatifically. Some sigh and say "I loved dinosaurs when I was a kid and I still do." People who barely know him give him gifts (dinosaurs). His little friends in kindergarten draw pictures of dinosaurs and give them to him.
This is sooo different from how people react to my elder son, who is highly advanced in reading and maths. People somehow seem threatened by a 5 year old who can do division or read chapter books. Yet a 5-year-old mad paleontolgist seems to be completely endearing to most people, even if they hear him matter-of-factly making statements like "the dromeosaurs lived in the late cretaceous and the asteroid got them and now they're extinct. I'm going to use my time portal and go back and rescue them."
I have to say, it's pretty cute. And I have to add that I never knew how wonderful dinosaurs could be until my Little Dude came into my life.
Val
Last edited by Val; 03/07/08 06:57 PM.
