Channel 4 New TV Series

[averagedad]

Dear Positive Parents,

See if the following new tv series could positively stimulate your child,

www.channel4.com/programmes/child-genius/episode-guide/series-2013/episode-1

Good Luck.

Best wishes
Average Dad
Life is about Sharing

thanks for that - looks like it could be very interesting to watch. I feel sorry for children though when it is parents pushing them to achieve these things.

We know one of the kids in this, and their parents aren't pushy at all. Some of the parents of the others look like they might be though....!

I always watch these programmes and think I must be the laziest parent alive. I would be very surprised if there are any parents in this series who aren't pushy. What normal parent gets their child's IQ tested and joining Mensa?

I've seen these kinds of programmes before. I'm not sure children should be used like performing circus animals. If the parents want to push their children and the children are willing then so be it. But I'm not sure that we should all be staring at the "bearded lady" as it were.

I think that it is probably a combination/mix of parents. Some kids push themselves, some kids just ARE and others have the potential and the parents push them to do it.

as for mensa - well it doesn't bother me what other parents do there. I think for some people it is important and others it isn't. I sat a mensa test (I asked to) when I was 16 because I couldn't understand why I couldn't do well in exams and started to think I was really thick. It boosted my confidence no end to feel I was good at something. I didn't join mensa though, it was just something I wanted to do for some reason.

Would I get my children to do one - no. However if they expressed an interest in the types of puzzles or wanted to do something when they are older then that is up to them and I would support them. I think for some families it might be a way of trying to work out how to challenge their children, for others it is a boasting thing. Who know.

Taking a mensa test though won't harm a child in any way so it doesn't worry me if people want to do it.

I do find things like this interesting though.

I joined MENSA when young, totally my own idea, defiantly nothing to do with pushy parents!

Patricia fair enough but I bet you were older than 5. I would be interested to know how many of these children discovered and asked to test for Mensa. There may be plenty of 5 yr old self starters who do research and do this, I've just never met any. However I have met any number of pushy parents who pretend not to be pushy at all and go to some lengths to try and disguise their pushiness (mostly unsuccessfully but sometimes they can maintain the charade for some considerable time). I have learnt that I am way too honest about ds's ability and interests.