Is It Bad That I Don’t Want My Kindergartner In Mensa?

The last thing I need right now is to have a kindergartner that is smarter than me. That would really push me over the edge. Gus Dorman knows every element in the periodic table. He reads newspapers in the bathroom. He’s five.

His parents got a clue that they may have a genius on their hands when they caught him actually reading a newspaper on the potty when he was 18-months-old. At five, he’s solving second grade level math problems and as I mentioned before knows every element in the periodic table. I could barely memorize that thing in high school. I don’t think I am equipped to handle raising a child genius.

All jokes aside, raising a child genius puts a lot of extra stress on parents. Gus is already feeling unchallenged in school. The district that the child falls into does not have a gifted program. His parents are lobbying for one now. They want their child to be able to attend the district their taxes contribute to. From STL Today.com:

Under state law, students identified as having special needs receive Individualized Educational Plans, or IEPs, that address their special needs. That includes students who have physical, mental, emotional or developmental disabilities. However, school districts are not required to provided individualized educational plans for gifted students.

Gus gets restless with the lessons that are being taught to his peers. He already knows the basics that they are learning. His parents can supplement his education for now, but they don’t want to homeschool him because they want him to have the social interaction that public school brings. The Dormans had their son’s IQ tested last month and he scored in the 98th percentile – earning him a spot in the Mensa club.

Obviously I would be thrilled to have an incredibly intelligent child. But it would be really hard to not have an adequate support network in the school system. I doubt my own ability to keep up with a child like this. His father told ABC News that he’s happy to be able to teach him a little about what he’s interested in right now, “black holes and astrophysics.”

I would be so screwed.

(photo: JonesHon/ Shutterstock.com)