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Original poster

Child genius on ch 4 - wtf?! (Lighthearted)

94 replies

Sleeplessinguiltyness · 14/08/2017 20:26

What is even the point?! I just don't get it!

Just seems like a load of pushy parents living through their kids, memorising random words I have never even heard of!

OP posts:
user7841794168 · 15/08/2017 17:38

I'm not convinced being able to spell verbally is a sign of huge intelligence. Some people prefer to write it down - I think the scores would be very different then.

^ This - I have to write anything down in order to spell it. I'm intelligent and all that my mother insisted I was reading at 18 months but that's cobblers but I'm a very visual person and I have to see the word to know I'm spelling it correctly.

craftsy · 15/08/2017 17:39

Did anyone else notice they kept pronouncing it 'haitch' blush

"Haitch" is correct in some dialects so maybe take those judgey pants back off.

MyPatronusIsAUnicorn · 15/08/2017 22:19

I don't agree with the mother who listened to classical music and said intelligence is down to nurture. I think innate intelligence is either there or not. You can achieve by working hard but there is no way that boy who is in the top 0.01% is there by his mother's teachings, that's natural. His maths was amazing and whilst mine isn't bad and I'm reasonable at mental arithmetic, I couldn't learn to be like he is.

I agree about the verbal spelling too, I need to see it. I'm quite good at spelling but shit at saying it out loud.

Also, how much of this is all intelligence? The clip of the history bit looked like they were all revising for it, same as the spellings and memory stuff. It's not like they naturally know this stuff and once the competition is over, they'll forget whatever the actual name for a bloody peach is.

Tomorrow's looks interesting!

OvariesForgotHerPassword · 15/08/2017 22:32

I definitely don't think that spelling is any indicator of intelligence. I've always been very ahead in terms of vocabulary, spelling and reading age. I have an eidetic memory and I have adhd with a hyperfocus on reading when I was little so I did it non stop. That's luck, not intelligence.

YouKnewWeHadToDoItEventually · 15/08/2017 23:11

I remember reading a few years ago that good spelling skills are mostly in your genes, it's definitely not a predictor of intelligence.
I remember being quite miffed because I'd always been a bit proud of being able to spell well Blush

MyPatronusIsAUnicorn · 16/08/2017 20:51

Yes, my dad isn't very good at spelling or writing and grammar, but he's pretty intelligent and has a wealth of knowledge. He just wasn't interested in school and left at 15 with no qualifications. The sort of stuff on Child Genius is no measure of actual intelligence.

MissionItsPossible · 16/08/2017 20:55

"Haitch" is correct in some dialects so maybe take those judgey pants back off.

Which dialects?

AnotherLegoBrick · 17/08/2017 09:22

"Haitch" is never correct in any dialect. It is common where I live, but that does not make it right.

thatdearoctopus · 17/08/2017 13:01

It's a bit like the phrase, "toeing the line." The more people misinterpret it and write, "towing," the more people latch on and perpetuate the error.

MsHooliesCardigan · 17/08/2017 13:08

My particular hate is the way they have to wear those enormous name things round their neck. It makes them look like WW2 evacuees.

craftsy · 17/08/2017 15:55

"Haitch" is never correct in any dialect. It is common where I live, but that does not make it right.

It is absolutely correct and the considered standard in Hiberno-Irish actually.

craftsy · 17/08/2017 16:04

Sorry, Hiberno-English, not Irish, obviously. Though it's also 'haitch' as Gaeilge.

MissionItsPossible · 17/08/2017 16:18

Sorry, Hiberno-English, not Irish, obviously. Though it's also 'haitch' as Gaeilge.

How many of the child geniuses from that episode had that dialect?

Oneofthosedreadfulparents · 17/08/2017 16:20

OK. Suspect I'm going to regret this, but if you genuinely want to hear it from a mum's perspective, ask away. You probably won't hear anything from parents on the current series - they are given advice to steer away from engaging with social media. I can only give you our perspective on why we let our child compete in Child Genius, and what we think about it in retrospect.

In short - we did it because our child was absolutely desperate to compete in some kind of competition that allowed him to test his academic abilities. I agree that at times it tends towards a memory test rather than a rigorous academic exercise, but there are other invaluable skills, such as research, self motivation, calmness under pressure that develop as the competition progresses, that will serve him well in future.

Would he have done it without the TV? Absolutely, and it would have made our decision so much easier, but unfortunately there are very few opportunities of its type in UK at the moment. Do we regret our participation? Absolutely not. It was stressful but enormous fun for my boy and us as a family - what you see on screen are the heightened moments of drama that make the best TV. Some kids are clearly more robust and emotionally able to cope, and I think that's where some parents have missed the mark.

MissionItsPossible · 17/08/2017 16:41

Oneofthosedreadfulparents

Thank you for this perspective, very interesting. In your informed opinion, would you say this is like other 'reality' shows, i.e. edited to create drama and not just for time constraint issues, like, do they edit it purposely to make some parents come across as very cruel or pushy or were they actually like that?

Oneofthosedreadfulparents · 17/08/2017 16:50

Well, what you see on camera genuinely happens - so to a certain degree, you are seeing reality. But it's only a snapshot; even the most dreadful parents have their caring, compassionate moments, and in most cases they are more caring than dreadful.
Some of it is misdirected ambition, and I think in those cases it comes across as trying to achieve through their children. But as previous posters have commented, they focus on a few families who make the best stories. You don't see as much of the families that come across as loving, supportive, quiet, or those without a 'story' to tell.

EssentialHummus · 17/08/2017 16:59

That's interesting oneof, thank you.

Oneofthosedreadfulparents · 17/08/2017 17:17

You're welcome. I think it must be really hard from anyone watching to imagine what it's like from the other side, and I can absolutely see why someone who hasn't been involved could watch and feel desperately sad for the kids. I do too sometimes, and I certainly judged the parents before we took part.

user9512736123 · 17/08/2017 19:20

@Oneofthosedreadfulparents Firstly, I'm sure you aren't one of those parents! Thank you, that was a really interesting insight. I think it's easy for us to forget that they are bound to highlight the best and worst parts of it all to make it 'good' television.

Would your child choose to do it again?

Ktown · 17/08/2017 19:25

Right - why do all the parents come across as totally not self aware and rather dim? Their kids seem bright but they seem.......well not very switched on.

Tigerlovingall · 17/08/2017 19:36

Not commenting in this year's CG, just....I remember Eleanor. A lovely girl and I hope she's doing well Smile

Oneofthosedreadfulparents · 17/08/2017 19:59

Yes, he'd definitely do it again, but he says that's because he was the one that wanted to do it, he isn't sure he'd feel the same if he'd been pressured or pushed into doing it. As it happens, he did get upset after a round when he didn't do as well as he thought he could have, but then he's also been known to get upset when he's missed a tackle in rugby. Not something I'd deliberately put him through, but experience in dealing with disappointment.
Ktown - not sure on the self awareness point, it's something I've wondered about. We'd watched previous series, and were pretty guarded whenever we were in the vicinity of a camera or microphone, I can only conclude that perhaps we're more bothered about how we appear than others (so maybe we're the hypocrites!)

user9512736123 · 17/08/2017 20:02

@Ktown Right - why do all the parents come across as totally not self aware and rather dim?

Perhaps because they are shadows of their children and see themselves as second only to whatever they are pushing their child to achieve? Not all of them but some of them. Kind of as if they don't matter, all that matters is their child.

OffcialMalbecTaster · 17/08/2017 20:04

Oh God you lot have made me watch this!! Im already being repulsed by the idea of the kids being "backed" and "spurred on" by these totally pushy parents just feels wrong but I cant stop watching

Fekko · 17/08/2017 20:07

Oh dear. That dad is pretty out. He was told he was thick so is making his kid cram like mad. Poor kid.

Ds is yelling out the answers. Not all right but his 'red dwarf' made me 😀 We loved that series!