little kids never cease to amaze me. it's like they're some sort of subhuman species, or rather some kinda higher order beings who degenrate into regular humans in adulthood. like stem cells losing their totipotency or whatever it's called as the organism ages. so kids seem to be able to do all sorts of things adults find impossible, and then many of these kid geniuses grow up and become ordinary, or else they die young. maybe geniuses are simply people with arrested growth (or rather, arrested degeneration).
was with this 5 year old during my church production rehearsal, and i came up with this brilliant idea to occupy her: i gave her a pen and a tissue to draw on. after five minutes and ten requests to spell words, (how to spell 'girl'? 'like'? 'dog'?) it didn't seem like such a bright idea anymore. so the next time she asked, "how do you spell the 'thing' in 'something'?"
i gave her a long look, and mustering up great regret, i told her, "i don't know."
she looked back at me with a gaze of infinite pity and replied, "it's ok. you go and learn more ok? i will ask you again next time." then, fearing she had touched a sore point and exposed my vulnerability, she didn't ask me anything else after that.
she was so earnest and funny that i felt a little bad, and wondered if she would look back some day and recall her meeting with a nice retarded lady who couldn't spell.
this kid is quite amazing! definitely in the meristematic stage of development. haha.
posted by: ammegan (reply)
post date: 05.30.07 (6:17 am)
