Everyone always tells me that my 2yo daughter speaks very well. I say, “Yeah, I know, constantly.” She is petite and they used to ask if she was younger than she was, but now that she won’t ever shut up people think she is 3 years old. They can’t believe a 2yo talks like that. Recently she has developed into a story teller. She makes up all kinds of stories. She told everyone at the family reunion this weekend, “Mommy kicked me in the head. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!” She swung her head back and forth with each “BOOM”. (This is completely made-up, BTW.) I was laughing so hard I couldn’t hear the rest of the story. She told our Parents As Teachers teacher that her aunt took her “deeeeper into the juuuungle” (spreading her arms wide) where she SLURPED her and she “raaaaaan awaaaaaay” (running down the hall and back while she said “ran away”) and a lion went “RRRROOOOARRRR” and she “raaaaaan awaaaaaaay” (same thing). There was more to that one too. I have to start video taping her stories. I really do.
My 7yo daughter wants to become an Egyptologist. She can’t say Egyptologist, mostly because she doesn’t have all of her teeth right now. Still yet, she knows what one is and wants to become one. Any Egyptologists here? Want to mentor a 7yo until she changes interests? She reads everything she can find on the subject. Her questions are beyond my knowledge.
My newest grand nephew is 5 months old and he can hold himself up on his toes and hands. Well, I’m impressed. I’ve never seen a baby do that before.
My five year old son just started Kindergarten last week, and he reads at probably a third grade level. For the summer reading program at the library, he read close to 40 books – all of them chapter books with no pictures! He amazes me.
My three year old daughter finally learned how to power herself on the swingset. No more pushes from Dad!
Hey Cranky – you’re the first person I’ve heard from who’s child does the butt-scoot too. My 10 month old daughter scoots around the same way. It’s hilarious to watch. She has never even attempted to crawl, but she can get anywhere she wants on her butt.
The elder little flodnak is 6 1/2 years old. He’s just started first grade at a Montessori elementary. He is reading at a 3rd/4th grade level in two languages, and he writes and illustrates his own “books” (little stories, maybe 8-10 sentences). He can identify close to 100 different car models. And he always knows how to make his baby brother laugh.
The younger little flodnak is almost 7 months old. He has just discovered that it is possible to roll from belly to back as well as back to belly. And he just discovered every boy’s favorite toy. Diaper changes just got more interesting.
I love to brag on my kids. They’re the greatest! My daughter just turned 3 August 21 and she’s soooo smart. She has an incredible vocabulary and can carry on conversations with just about anyone. She’s starting to back talk to me and, while it’s cute at times, it’s kind of irritating too. I’ll tell her to do something, like put on her shoes, and she says to me, “Not yet, in a minute mommy.” But she has a very sweet disposition. She hugs me and kisses my cheek and says, “I love you mommy” all the time, with no prompting from me. What a great feeling.
My son just turned 1 September 1st. He’s been walking for about a month and has now started climbing on the couch! He has also learned how to climb out of the playpen :eek: at the babysitter’s so she really has to keep an eye on him. He also says bye-bye and waves whenever we get ready to go somewhere and he says ma-ma and da-da! He’s the happiest baby, always smiling and laughing and he loves to cuddle with me when he’s tired!!
I just noticed that the vast majority were bragging about children not quite in their teens. I’m a 15 year old male, and kind of figured, I can brag about myself, and no one can do a thing about it. So here goes:
I have always been in all advanced classes. The past two years, my math class has been an advanced class of an advanced class. As a sophmore in high school, I am taking Advanced Analysis II, or Calc/Advanced Pre-calc. I’ve already taken Physics and Chemistry, and this year I am in Biology and Chemistry II.
In 7th grade, I took the SAT’s with John Hopkins University for the heck of it. I scored a 1040, or better than 55% of college bound seniors in highschool.
In 8th grade, I took the SAT’s again for the heck of it. This time I scored an 1130, better than 65% of college bound seniors. I never bothered taking it last year, but I will again this year.
My IQ hovers around 140, my writing level (when I try) is off the charts, and I so is my reading level. I go to a school where pupils are accepted by how well they do on an entrance exam. I scored 2nd out of 130 applicants, only 30 were admitted, and only 17 remain. I have a vernacular double of the average 15 year old teen. My memory for numbers is dumbfounding, and to top it all off, I have red hair, unlike 96% of the world’s population. I hope no one minds my self rant.
My son is 16 years old. He’s a junior in high school, currently taking college equivelent Biology, an advanced math, advanced English, computer programming, French and Economics. He’s in the marching band for the 3rd year (sax), plays on the soccer team. He has held a part time job for more than a year (started right after he turned 15), just added a second part time job. Currently has $1000 saved towards his first car.
In addition, he’s been visiting (on his own, not court ordered or anything) a elderly lady at a nearby nursing home for the past 3 months. She is no relation to us. He talked about missing “having grandparents around”.
He is kind and gentle to his littlier cousins and small people in general (he’s 6’1").
He is running for class president. He’s also trying out for a position on the “teen court” that’s being started (as a peer mediated response). He was a peer mediator for 4 years in grade school and middle school.
Up until last year his GPA was over a 3.5 - last year it went sliding because of a 3 month long love affair that broke up badly, and because he was gravely ill during a key time in the second semester (out for 3 weeks).
He helps out at home, recognizes (mostly) the things that are done for him as well. He’s also learning to cook. Does his own laundry, paid for 1/2 of his school clothes this year.
11 year old: She took a one week course in archery last summer and really enjoyed it. This summer, at camp, she quickly moved up several levels. She wanted to continue, so we signed her up for some serious classes at the local indoor archery range. (They train Junior Olympians.) Yesterday she had her first class, where she kicked butt and got 2 more badges. She’s really excited about the prospect of competing.
8 year old: He has struggled with controlling his emotions ever since he started banging his head on the floor during tantrums. Recently, at the Children’s Museum, he was confronted by a bully. He was playing with a cash register and this kid walked up and told him, “Move over, I want to play.” (Hubby watched all this from a distance.) Son replied, “no, I’m having a turn right now.” Bully, who was probably 4 years older and 50 pounds heavier, shoved him and demanded he move. Son stood his ground, looked the kid in the eye, and said in a very intense way, “No, I’m having a turn.” Bully backed down. Son has balls and self-restaint!
5 year old: The other night both she and the 2 year old climbed into bed with us in the wee hours. The 2 year old woke up and started fussing. The 5 year old rubbed her back until she fell back to sleep. She is also participating as much as I am in the 2 year old’s toilet training.
2 year old: I’m not sure this is something to be proud of, but she recently figured out how to use the kitchen stool to get into the (freezer on the bottom) refrigerator. She opens the door, climbs up onto the freezer door and gets her own yogurt.
Well isn’t this timely!
So my daughter the math and reading whiz back in 2000 is doing really well. She is getting married in 8 weeks to a really great young man who worships the ground she walks on. She’s got a good job, a rambunctious dog named Freya and is happy with her life.
My son is working for Amazon as a software developer II and is doing incredible work for the company. He’s got a team working under him and has a bright future there. His gf has been with him for many years now and they are very happy.
All in all I couldn’t be more pleased with how they have turned out. I only wish they lived a little closer to Chicago but Minnesota isn’t that far in the big scheme of things.
Seeing that Persephone started the third brought some tears. I do wonder how her kids are doing. They’re now in their 20s.
I didn’t have kids when the thread was started, and I wasn’t even on the board in September of that year. But. 23 years later, I’ve got a 14 year old and a 17 year old.
Bragging on BtY (the 14 year old), he just finished taking his state and EOC tests. I don’t have the scores on them, but I don’t expect them to be bad. He a pretty good student. I’m also pretty proud of the fact they got into one of the best high schools in the district. It’s the one that CtE has been attending for the last 4 years and will be graduating from next month.
Bragging on CtE, they’ve been having a lot of problems with their depression and anxiety. It’s made going to school really tough, though thankfully they have wonderful teachers. Yesterday, we went on a field trip for their personal finance class. They were having a really tough time (according to them, they were this || close to a breakdown). But they didn’t need to excuse themselves from the field trip, they knew that they would need to get their emotions out and asked to come into my car to cry. I was fully expecting them to want to go home, but they went back to school and stayed until they had 30 minutes until the end of the school day. I’m so proud of the fact they are trying to get it under control.
I wasn’t on the board when this thread started, and at the time I had a two year old and a two month old. Oldest was born with male parts but came out as a trans woman in her early twenties. She was considered brilliant by teachers through elementary school, but started not doing work in middle school. She still got into a competitive high school magnet program, but settled into turning in nothing and passing by acing the final to keep from failing many classes. She got a big scholarship to college due to very high test scores, but flunked out her first year. After a few years she found a college that was a good fit, and is doing well. She has a highly regarded podcast and has several published movie reviews. Now if she can just afford to move out…
Our son didn’t sleep more than a couple of hours at a time the first two years of his life. He needed speech therapy to talk and occupational therapy as well. He did well in elementary and middle school, but like his sister coasted through high school without doing much work. His writing ability got him into a highly rated program, and he graduated magna cum laude with the faculty award for his major. He’s living with his girlfriend of 4 years and paying his own way. Most importantly, they are good people.
This thread brings back so many emotions! Persephone - oh, my heart! I hope her kids are doing well.
My (beautiful, kind, generous) daughters are all grown up.
The older one, who was blazing a trail through fourth grade 23 years ago, continued in the same vein. She won a competitive full-ride academic scholarship to Michigan State, graduated with a degree in genomics and molecular genetics, and went on to the University of Minnesota for her post-grad. She earned a master’s degree from her first lab and then her PhD in neuroscience from her second, and she’s now a post-doc at the University of Michigan. She got married in 2019 to a very nice young man she met at Michigan State, and they’ve just bought their first house.
The younger one stayed at home, which makes me wildly happy, given how far away her sister is. She got a degree in biology, and although she had originally thought of going on in the field, she fell in love with education while working as a classroom assistant. She’s currently torn between getting a master’s in education or going into school counseling instead, but she’s leaning towards teaching. I’ve seen her in a classroom, and she has the knack.
It’s really interesting to hear about your kids growing up. No wonder many of the kids of people on this board end up highly educated.
I was on this board at the time the thread was started, but I didn’t have kids then. Now I have a 2.5 year old and an 8 month old and life is pretty stressfull right now.
I should check back in 20 years and tell you how they are doing!
Not my very own, but two grandkids are making my heart burst! The youngest, a boy, made the Junior Scholars program at grade 6 this year (last year of primary school for Aus kids) and is doing famously well.
The older kid has come out as a trans girl, and ALSO got into the accelerated program at high school (year 8) despite being the laziest bloody creature in the universe. I’m chuffed for both of them, as being in the ‘programs’ gives them access to lots of groovy things, including HOMEWORK bwahahahahaha.
And RIP Persephone, I was here when all the shit happened, may you live on on this board.
::
