4-Year-Old Joins Mensa, Mothers Everywhere Start IQ-Testing Their Toddlers

Moms everywhere reading this piece are suddenly researching IQ tests suitable for toddlers, right? Don’t lie and act like you didn’t immediately think, “Hey, my kid is super smart too!” It’s okay, it’s a natural reaction.

Now let’s get back to reality and realize that not all of us can have pre-schoolers with an IQ one point behind Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Stop that voice in the back of your head that’s saying, “Not everyone can have a kid that smart, but my child is special.”

Alright, now that we’ve all calmed our inner sometimes-delusional momma pride, let’s say a big congratulations to Heidi Hankins from Winchester, England. This impressive little girl taught herself to read and could count to 40 by age 2. Her IQ is an astounding 159, which is 59 points above the average adult intelligence level.

British Mensa chief executive John Stevenage says that the group welcomes children because they “aim to provide a positive environment for younger members to develop.” And honestly, I think it’s a great idea to allow these truly gifted little ones to join a community that understands their struggles and can support their development.

Heidi Hankins isn’t actually the youngest child ever to join the famed intelligentsia. Oscar Wrigley was two and a half when he was welcomed into Mensa in 2009.

Now one more time before we end this story, this should not be the inspiration behind your toddler’s new flashcard regimen or SAT prep course. Truly gifted children are not created through rigorous training. They exhibit their own natural curiosity and eagerness to learn. Mensa looks for unusual memory, awareness of world events and reading at an early age.

If your pre-schooler starts having a detailed discussion with you about the tenuous ceasefire in Syria, then maybe you can look into the Mensa admission requirements. Until then, let’s all applaud Heidi’s achievement and be thankful that we have happy, healthy children of our own to take care of.

(Photo: BBC)

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