Are Your Kids Smarter Than You?
Posted on September 9, 2009 by FoBaM-Jamie
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that made me laugh out loud: Hire a teenager while they still know everything.
It’s true that kids are smart – sometimes smarter than we give them credit for and often too smart for their own good. I recently read a scholarly-type article which stated that kids are typically born smarter than their parents – something to do with the process of natural selection and a steadily increasing IQ average. Although it’s a little depressing to think that your kids have one up on you before they can even talk, I guess it’s best for the species. 
I’m sure I could dig up dozens of official, scientific reports on the topic; but I’m more interested in the opinion of the “mom-on-the-street”. So, what do you think?
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I realize that there are dozens of other ways you might answer this question (feel free to get more in-depth in your comments), and many variables. For instance, what your kids know constantly changes as they get older.Though you may know more today, the tables may turn. Also, there’s the matter of “book” smarts vs. “street” smarts. I also think that “emotional intelligence” comes into play. I’ve met a number of Kindergartners who appear to have emotional intelligence far superior to some adults I know. My daughter, for instance, said to me the other day, “Mom, sometimes, I love sick days. You get to stay on the couch, watch your favorite shows, eat your favorite foods, and snuggle with your mom. This is the life!” If that’s not wisdom, I don’t know what is.
Have you ever been surprised by your child’s intelligence – intellectual or otherwise? Go ahead and share – brag a little, even. We don’t mind!
My six year old son has taught me about different types of animals including tomato frogs and sunbears, which I didn’t even know existed.
And my daughter seems to have a knack for being able to play just about anything on the piano. At eight years old, she’s already written 3 songs.
MY DAUGHTER IS THREE AND SHE AMAZES ME EVERY DAY, I DON’T KNOW WHERE SHE GET’S IT BUT IM THANKFUL SHE’S GOT IT!
I know my kids are smater then me ..My son stuck it out in school where i was not so smart and thought i should quit..that alone makes him smarter and my dughter well she is so smart to ..sh is 12 and already knows what she wants to be when she grows up, and is already taking steps to make that happen.
I feel like my 12 year old is smarter than me every time he brings home some homework that I can’t help him with! Why are they doing things in middle school that I did in high school? Crazy!!!
By far my 20 and 13 year old are smater than me. When I was in school we did not do half of what they do! The math they have had to is extremely complicated and hard and I could never help them with it.
Both my almost 3 yr old Emma and my 15 mo old Zaden, out smart me all the time. Emma is very smart for her age and things that work on other kids backfire all the time when I try them. She has things figured out and doesn’t hesitate to tell me when I’m wrong. It amazes me that they both pretty much have the 5 disc DVD player figured out (which is difficult for any adult that comes over to watch them). Any time a sitter comes over, I just tell them to ask Emma and she can change the TV to the right channel, load the DVD and play it.
My 7 year old with cerebral palsy, non-verbal can pick up an ASL sign, know it, use it faster than I can. I have to ask him the signs for things! He is amazing!
My 4 yr old already knows how to print things from the computer, plays games and serches games on the computer and lap top. He also knows how to work the dvd player and cd player and loves playing the wii. If we show him something once he remembers and he also remembers things from he was a baby. I think he’ll be smarter than I ever was!!
My youngest daughter just turned 2 in August. We were watching an episode of Dora the Explorer the other day in which Dora was searching for 3 missing pigs. She found 2 and asked the question “How many pigs are still missing?” My 2 year-old chimes in very matter-of-factly, “One!” I was completely mystified. So smart and at such a young age! Let’s hope she only ever uses her powers for good… haha!
I won’t say that my kids might one day be smarter than me – as experience and common sense lend a lot to intelligence. I will, however, admit freely that my kids are smarter than I was at their age and that they always show me how much society undervalue’s their perceptiveness and ability. I tell people all the time, don’t underestimate your child or anyone else’s. They are sponges – they observe more than we do, they analize more than we do, and they apply more than we do. Kids today have a different life than my generation and the generations prior; there are some areas that they have it better and others that need improvement, but overall, kids ARE so much smarter than we give them credit for.
so true melissa right on the money.my oldest is in seventh grade and they want him to take 8th grade math& science wich never happened to me,heck i didn’t even graduate(got my ged although).he’s just sooo smart and i’m so proud of him.and my daughter is so smart to just extremly shy.anyways she just started pre-k and i think she may be ready for kindergarden.who knows maybe they will see it too.
when my kids were little they may have just thought they were smarter but now that they are grown with kids of their own&all the advancements in technology,etc they are smarter than i am &sometimes i think even the grandkids are smarter than me
I have 3 children. A 15 year old son in the 10th grade who is taking all honors classes this semester. Except for his one elective. He also plays on his school’s soccer team. Last year in 9th grade, he had a 96% gpa.
My 11 year old daughter is currently in her first year of middle school (6th grade). She was in the AIG (Academically/Intellectually Gifted) class in 4th, & in 5th grade they retested her & she aced BOTH the math & reading test, so it kept her in AIG in 5th grade. She is currently in AG for Language Arts in 6th grade. However, she is reading at a 10th grade level. (The same grade her brother is in.)
My 9 year old daughter is in 4th grade & is a work in progress. She had a hard time in reading at the end of last year. She seems to be doing lots better in reading, so far, this school year.
When it comes to todays “modern technology”, yes my kids are much smarter than me! Even my 5 year old. But it’s what they have grown up with! But when it comes to learning manners, respect & wisdom…that they learn from me!
Both of my boys are very smart. My 5 year old corrects me all the time when I don’t pronounce a word exactly the right way. He is already starting to put letters together to spell words just by sounding them out, I don’t think I learned that until at least 6 or 7. My 22 month old son is right behind his brother, even at his age he can name red, blue, grren and yellow when ask to name this color. If we pass a sign with an “A” or an “I” he will point the letter out and tell us what it is. My boys are growing up too fast and I am so very proud of them and I know they will keep me impressed forever.
Yes, my kids are way more on the ball than I am! One is getting his PhD in Linguistics and speaks 3 languages fluently, the other is graduating this coming spring from college after studying in Germany. I am happy to say that I stay at home after work , for the most part, keeping the home fires burning. They are world travellers, interested in learning everything under the sun, and happy young men!
My daughter is 8 and my son is 5. everyday they tell me things i could not imagine were true and then i take the time to look it up and in blqack and white there it is. they are amazing children and evryday i am amazed on how much they grow and make me laugh.. i love to here the words I TOLD YOU SO MOM!!!
My kids are super smart..They’re both straight A students..My son is in all the advance classes and he’s only a freshmen. He wants to go to school to become a Physicist and my daughter wants to become a Marine biologist.
I’m so proud of them both!!
My 2 year old son is amazing. He can put some 5 or 6 year old to shame when it comes to baseball. He knows his abc’s. numbers, colors, etc… We are now thinking about going ahead and teaching him how to read and write.
My 9 year old twin girls are in the school districts gifted program. Currently reading at the 8th-9th grade level. They were reading, writing and drawing by the time they were 4 years old. They both know and retain AMAZING facts about Presidents, science and their favorite book is the dictionary. Their 5 year old sister and her develop stage is 6-8 years. Love ‘em too much.
My daughter is only 22 months already potty trained and has gone through so much in her little life ( she has had cancer twice and is currently going through chemo) she knows so much already and also has taught me so much. I know she she will be amazingly smart when she’s older and do wonderful things in this world. Every one who knows her is amazed by her, and I know she’ll just continue to do so.
My daughter is a very smart girl and she amazes me at what she knows and comes up with every day!
I just know that I remember my pre-school and Kindergarten years and I now have a pre-school daughter. They teach her in pre-school the things that I learned in 1st grade. So I feel it has a lot to do with the society getting smarter and teaching our kids to “think” more. She was singing Old MacDonald had a farm at 1 and picks up on anything musical. In preschool they even teach computers. Now i didnt learn that until 4th grade. I am 24 years old and think that when my daughter is my age she will definateley be smarter than me!
I knew that my son was enlarging his brain power when he figured out a brain teaser puzzle that had stumped me for a while. He spent about five min looking at it and had the answer!! My daughter is starting to show me up as well. I have a college degree, but am wondering if it did me any good when I come up against these two!!!! Children are learning so much these days.
My daughter is a lot smarter then I am! I am in med school and to study and i read my notes and vocabulary to her. When i was taking a quiz on the net she corrected one of my answers.
My 2yr old will sit down have an enire conversation with you like he was an adult if thats not bad enough he knows all of his alphabet forwards and backwards mix them up and he will still tell u what they are. he speaks in complete sentences, counts to 16 in english and 10 in spanish has about a 25 word vocab. for spanish and also can speak in chinese and count to 6
My 11 year-old daughter is able to read the same books I do so now we can have discussions about the books we’ve read.
My 10 year-old daughter is a genius at debate, she even gets me to concede sometimes.
My 7 year-old son can make up fantastic stories, he has such a vivid imagination.
My two sons who are each unique in that they are polar opposites of each other, amaze me already with the things they pick up on! Miles little guy Miles 4, can read people’s feelings so well and knows even before me when I’m in a bad mood. He tells me to relax and it immediately calms me down. Tyler my 8 yr old has a determination and will to reach a goal that I never had or will ever have! I think it’s not all about being “book smart” and I see in my boys that they’ve developed these life skills that can’t be taught. Being a Mom is just amazing!!
I have an amazing 5 year old who started kindergarten this year in an Accelerated Learning Academy. We all question exactly how smart our children are going to be, well he has sure shown me a few things. He corrects me a lot when I am wrong, especially about cars. He loves cars and can tell you just about any make and model, as well as correcting me on things that I pronounce or do wrong. It is amazing how fast they grow and how much they absorb in such short amount of times. I cant wait to see what he does with the intelligence he has as he grows.
My son, Daniel is very perceptive and sees the symbolic in things. I know I have a tendency to think that way somewhat but it developed as I got older. Sometimes I feel that if I don’t regard his words at those times, I’ll miss out on something important I need to learn. We need to actively listen to all our kids. Never let them know, but they are our teachers.
Jesus said we need to come into the Kingdom of God as little children, so look at them as He would: What does He see and love that we can imitate?
Yes, my kids are VERY smart – and NOT BECAUSE OF NATURAL SELECTION!! (What a crock!!) Natural Selection is a myth, and my kids are just really smart, thank you.
My 15 year old daughter goes to a College Prepratory School shes very smart & has learned things that I didn’t going to an average high school & with minimal college,I’ll admit theres things she knows that I don’t but vice a versa she doesn’t have the life experience I have & knowledge of medical terminology etc.Just last weekend we were at my Aunts & we were doing a math equation & I was a little slow,for one thing I don’t do math on a regular basis & its also my worst subject,but her best & she raised her voice telling me I didn’t do it right & embarrassed me,I didn’t care much for that,because in the end you need life experience too know alot of things & that only comes with age.
Our daughter is seven and most days it seems like she is going on sixteen. She work grandma’s computer better than grandma. She has great problem solving skills. She knows how to stand up for herself. Our son just turned five yesterday. He is very smart too. He can reason with you and you forget that he is only five. I think our kids are growing up so fast. I love my husband and my children very much.
my kids have an intellect for words and numbers i know i didn’t have at there age:my oldest who is know 18 ,the first day of kindergarten said” i don’t want to ride the bus anymore it’s to chaotic”, my 15 year old was adding and subtracting before he was 2 and the youngest one ,now 9,at age two popped off with stuff like “why you sulking,theres no pouting at this table”!
My son is 14 and I learn something new from him everyday. He teaches me about Science and usually begins with, “Did you know….?” My usual response is, “No I did not know that!” I can’t even begin to understand what he is talking about in Math! I am so proud that he loves school and being in honors courses. I was horrible in school. I am so thankful he loves to read; it is never too early to buy books for your children!
MY 7 YR SON( HE HAS A TWIN SISTER) HAS TOUGHT ME THINGS I NEVER KNEW. WHEN IT COMES TO HIS DS GAMES THERE ARE THINGS THAT I STILL CANT’T BEAT AND HE GOES RIGHT THOUGHT THEM LIKE THERE NO TOMORROW. I HAVE TO KEEP HIM AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER CUZ I AM SCARED WHAT HE COULD FIGURE OUT WITH THAT.