Scary gifted

Yesterday was my sister’s birthday, and her husband took her out for dinner, so I went round to babysit my nieces. Now you have to understand that these are the most incredible girls on the planet – and I’m not just saying this because I’m biased.

The oldest is 9 years old. She is the epitome of the word “lissom” – tiny, slim and fairy-like. But, despite her delicate appearance, she is tomboy-ish; or so she insists – she doesn’t have enough if the daredevil in her to be a true tomboy. Her 6-year-old sister, on the other hand, is a stereotypical girly-girl, with a passion for pink, ponies and princesses.

They are both unbelievably bright. They’ve been tested, so it’s not just the voice of familial affection speaking. I believe that the educational psychologist actually referred to them as “scary gifted”. So you know that’s way up there with the geniuses. My sister started home-schooling them not long ago, and they are progressing in leaps and bounds beyond expectations.

Anyway, so last night I was babysitting them, and had the great pleasure of experiencing first-hand a few of the amazing things that they come out with. The youngest spotted a moth on the wall, and immediately went to the bookshelf and pulled out her butterfly book, saying “I know I’ve seen this moth in my book.” She paged through the book, and did, indeed, find a picture of the moth. She says to me: “This is the one, if I look very closely I can just make out the white spots on it’s wings.” Verbatim, I swear! And this from a six-year-old!

The oldest one is convinced that boys are a lower life form. Her comment was: “Boys can only think like boys, but girls can think like boys or girls.”

There is one fundamental difference between my two geniuses. The younger one, while incredibly academically gifted and advanced (she’s completed Grade 1 maths!), has been blessed with all the standard filters of self-absorption and disinterest that the rest of the human race has, and so she can cope with the world in the normal way, with a little bit of extra twee for the edification of her peers, parents and miscellaneous acquaintances. She’s a people-pleaser, but only as long as she always gets what she wants. And very often one finds oneself doing her bidding without the conscious decision to do so. She casts a very intricate and subtle glamour that somehow convinces everyone around her that she must be indulged. Which, of course, is only right and proper.

This was made by the youngest in Paint, and entitled "Cutey's Rocket" by the elder

The elder, however, does not seem to be similarly equipped. She has no need to win approval for her actions, but she feels every emotion to an extreme degree, and is overly concerned with the well-being and comfort of those around her (a fact which her sister shamelessly and effortlessly exploits). She is also the most faith-full person I’ve ever met. She believes so strongly that she distorts the world. And, without regular-person filters, she has a point of view that I have never come across in any other person. The observations she makes and the questions she asks (which are never-ending) often have no response, because they come from a direction that no one else has ever approached.

And, beside all this awesomeness, they’re also movie-star beautiful.