I’m waiting for take-away at the local Sushi joint, and a very well-spoken 8- or 10-year-old kid came in with his older sister. He’s obviously bright and so annoying I want to…
Ahem. He’s pretty friggin’ annoying. His father is pretty annoying, too (think pretentious nuevo nerdy), so I guess that’s where he gets it from. Maybe I just need to chill. I’m tired and irritable, and this kid is making my Klaxons sound. Whatever.
Damn. Did I mis-spell “precocious”? The irony.
I can’t stand cute kids who know they’re cute.
The only thing worse is a couple with a “routine” - we went out to dinner with just such a twosome. Once. Never again. <shudder>
(This is Winston being intrigued).
Routine? Weird? Off-putting?
I demand details. 
They’re both!
It can be a lot of fun to talk with a bright kid. The less idea they have that bright=superior, the better, of course.
Most kids start getting really annoying around 8 or 10 anyway (Dorothy Sayers: “The nuisance value of this age is very high…”) as they figure out that they can successfully nitpick, point out errors, and ask aggravating questions. They are also a lot of fun to teach and/or hang out with, but they are just starting to get interesting to talk with and haven’t figured out when to quit yet. Precocity magnifies these traits hugely.
And yeah, I’m sure the annoyingness of his dad has a lot to do with it. He’ll probably grow out of it, though, one of these days.
We have a couple like that that shops in my store! They have a whole schtick going. She sets up the jokes, he plays straight man, and then they switch! They’ve been in enough times that we recognize the bones of the routine. I can’t imagine what they must be like together when they are alone, because it seems their whole relationship is based on having an audience. We almost expect them to take bows when they leave the store.
99 times out of 100 I find them to be annoying. Every once in a while a cute one will pop in.
IMO the attractiveness of a precocious kid depends on whether they are actually sharp enough to distinguish between various situations, such that they do not believe that they ought always be the center of everyone’s attention. A smart, funny kid can be a joy in lightening up a boring situation, or can be delightful conversation. However, if he interrupts adult conversation with continuous “look at me” stunts or invades others’ privacy, not so much.
Also, a lot of kids who think they are really bright and deserving of the world’s attention (and their parents), are actually just loud and rude.
I think that’s because the parents indulge and encourage that behavior.
I was a smart kid, but I knew my place. I doubt anyone would have called me precocious. lol.