The boy likes to take things apart.? Everyone in the history of the universe who has ever met my child will agree that this child is bound to be an engineer.? I’m still holding out for professional hockey player, but I’m starting to think the masses are right.
The child studies everything.? Asks questions about everything.? And no, the answer to the question, “why are we going to the bank” is not, “to deposit money.”? It involves a long drawn out explination of the US financial system and why it’s in crisis and why this $700 gagillion dollar bailout isn’t going to do jack crap and only make things worse.
At 2 1/2 the boy found a small screwdriver and removed the battery cover from his Tigger bike to illustrate the point that it did need new batteries despite the fact that we were trying to ignore that the batteried had died.? “It’s broken,” wasn’t going to fly with him.
Somewhere around the ripe old age of 6 (maybe earlier) the trusty husband started taking things apart.? The only stipulation was that he had to put it back together and it had to work in the same fashion or better once reassembled.? That rule still applies in our house as the cover to my computer is frequently removed.
Once home PCs were commonplace the trusty husband has been around one.? The man didn’t go to school for computer science, but if you want to know anything about how a computer works just ask him.? He’s like a walking encyclopedia of everything (especially computers).
This little computer affliction must be catching because the boy is getting hooked.? His Auntie G gave him a computer game long ago and he played it until my ears started to bleed.? A few months ago we bought him a new game.? This one is only slightly less annoying.? However, it has a feature the boy thinks is the best thing ever.? Print capabilities.? The game is a Mickey Mouse one and he can “build” cars in Goofy’s Garage and then “take a picutre” of them.? Then you can print the photo.
I’m careful to keep the printer turned off while he’s playing because despite my attempts to remind him to not print things he does it anyway.? Tonight I found 24 Disney Interactive items in the print queue.? I’m certain he does it so he can watch the print mechanism move so he can figure out how to build a bigger and better printer.
My baby brother’s long ago summer visit while I was in college is, I believe, the reason PLU now has limits on printing in its computer labs.
The darn ink is expensive too!
Slugger is a taker-aparter, too. I don’t want to stifle his creativity/interest, but too bad. I’m stifling it! I HATE when he takes a screwdriver to something to “fix” it and inevitably ends up breaking something that was fine to start with.
Oh, and the bail out plan… crazy, right? It’s a good thing to save those banks and all, but it’s like filling up a gas tank in the car of someone who has no money to drive. Great… good… wonderful. But when that gas tank is empty, the person still doesn’t have money and is going to be right back where they started. We can fix the banks that are going under because of all the foreclosures… at least temporarily But that doesn’t fix the real root of the problem, does it?
He has blueprints laying around…hide that printer. He’ll use the parts for a robotic rooster.
I swear we are virtual twins…my DH is the same…and we have that exact game and both my boys love love love it and the printing cars…we have gazillions of them al over the house…they are even turning up as scrap papers pieces for mommy to write on…
Spencer started with the taking things apart at the same age as O…Griffin, for the past two years, has watched him with delight and now helps him screw and un-screw…great three of them taking things apart and re-working them!!
Have you had him tested to see if he’s gifted? He’s pretty advanced. Its remarkable, really. Don’t let him at the back of your television sets!! Wow.
Our first computer when I was a kid (Apple IIe) had a program where you could design cars… Guess what was my favorite? Oh, and yes, I did take that one apart too.