Ten times smarter...

As I was stumbling around in my pre-caffeine stupor this morning, I overheard my daughters starting to squabble. Normally, I do not like to interfere unless I either have a headache or believe it is going to come to blows between the two of them. Neither was actually the case today, but one of the comments I overheard irked the heck out of me.

Horse informed Rooster that she (Horse) was ten times smarter than her (Rooster). Yeah, I don't think so, honey.

First of all, all three of my kidlets are quite intelligent. Granted, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Rooster and Horse both learned how to jump within just a few days of each other, and they are three years apart. The same happened with learning to ride their bicycles. I've also been told that Rooster is one of the smartest people around when it comes to figuring out how to demand, and receive, attention in pretty much any possible scenario. Horse was always advanced in academics. Her teachers have consistently raved about her knowledge and skills. And let's not forget about my son. Pig Jr. tested on a second grade level in math skills even though he is still in preschool.

You just cannot compare the three to each other on the same level since they have multiple years between each of them, in addition to different areas of strengths. But trust this bragging mother when I say they are all quite smart in their own ways. (And if you don't trust me on that one, then what the heck are you doing reading this blog anyway?)

Besides, if Horse thinks she is ten times smarter than her sister, perhaps I should be worrying about her math skills.

Ultimately, however smart my kidlets might be, it really boils down to the genetic hand they were dealt. Nobody has a real choice in how smart they are. Granted, there are things you can do to help you work to your potential, but ultimately it's not up to you what that potential might be. I can't even take any credit for my kidlets' DNA since I had no choice in the matter either. I got what I got, and they got what they got, and that's all there is to it.

The girls' bickering stopped when I jumped into the debate to fluff my hair in front of them. I declared I was better than everyone because my hair was such a cool shade of brown. While they snickered, I pointed out that I knew it sounded silly, especially since I had no say in my hair color. They jumped in to add other things I have no say on, such as a need to wear glasses and being a girl. I agreed, and mentioned that people have just as much say in how smart they are as they do in all those other things. They seemed to get the picture pretty quickly. Maybe that's just because they are both ten times smarter than I am...