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___WEDNESDAY___CH 4___UPDATE___"CHILD GENIUS"___UPDATE___CH 4___

551 replies

RTKangaMummy · 13/04/2008 21:44

WEDNESDAY

CHANNEL 4

AN UPDATE ON THE CHILDREN FROM LAST YEAR

x x x

Documentary
Child Genius Wednesday 16 April
9:00pm - 10:00pm
Channel 4
1/2
The subtitle of this series about megabrained children is "young and gifted", but by the end you half-wonder if it should be "young and cursed". We're catching up with kids we met in the last series - chess champ Peter (11), who wears a "genius in training" T-shirt, Adam (eight), who dissects rats in the kitchen, and Mikhail (five), who as Britain's youngest Mensa member has appeared on Oprah and Countdown. We also meet Georgia, who toppled Mikhail as Britain's youngest Mensa member. At two, she was measured with an IQ of 152 - impressive given that, being a toddler, she fell asleep halfway through the test. Her mother notes that "a lot of the pictures we take of Georgia have this white light around her . . ." That's the thing: inevitably, parents become caught up in making their gifted children into mini-celebrities, especially when TV crews get involved. It makes for fascinating TV; whether it's great for the pressure-cooker kids is another matter.

x x x

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 23/04/2008 21:56

from Anglo-Saxon. anyone who plays all those weirdy role playing games comes up with names like that all the time.

DirtySexyMummy · 23/04/2008 21:56

Which mother, Michael's mother? If that is an example of a typical MNer then I must be in the wrong place..

hippipotami · 23/04/2008 21:57

Aw, little Hermione writing her own book whilst mum is yet again busy with Michael...

I love little Hermione...

hippipotami · 23/04/2008 21:57

I thought that too DSM

DirtySexyMummy · 23/04/2008 21:57

Hermione is cute.

Whya re they telling him what subjects to choose for his GCSE's?

expatinscotland · 23/04/2008 21:58

yeah, i think she typifies a lot of MNers - she's a career person, there are many academics here, owns chickens, bakes cakes, breastfeeds, nice home, etc.

dante brings replica guns to school, man.

DirtySexyMummy · 23/04/2008 21:58

Dante says to his Mum - 'stop trying to use modern words' when she says cool

Actually just a typical teenager

Kathyis6incheshigh · 23/04/2008 21:58

I agree with Expat - the mother is quite intense and academic but not really weird. And she seems quite nice. Not like the mothers last week.

avenanap · 23/04/2008 21:59

At least his parents are starting to understand him now! I knew I was right

expatinscotland · 23/04/2008 21:59

yeah, i used to bring replica guns to school as a teen.

i bought them, yeah, for shock value and all.

DirtySexyMummy · 23/04/2008 21:59

Hmm.. well I'm a career person, an academic to a certain level, I don't own chickens, but I do bake cakes on occassion, breastfed, and have a nice home, etc.

But I am nothing like her.

expatinscotland · 23/04/2008 22:01

A lot of folks on here are.

I'm not, either, but she doesn't strike me as bad at all.

Or even poncey, tbh.

She's a don.

mousehole · 23/04/2008 22:02

This reply has been withdrawn

withdrawn at poster's request

DirtySexyMummy · 23/04/2008 22:03

I think she seems alright, not bad. Not really poncey, just actually quite posh.

I wouldn't say she is a 'typical MNer' though, TBH. I don't think I would be happy if she was picked as representative of most MNers.

I'd say someone more like Tana Ramsay.

SlartyBartFast · 23/04/2008 22:04

hmm
just caught the end of that.

i wonder if channel 4 should follow them though?

hippipotami · 23/04/2008 22:05

I do think that on the whole, this lot were all a lot more adjusted and 'normal' than the weird lot we watched last week.

expatinscotland · 23/04/2008 22:05

I'd say she's more typical than Tana Ramsay, who doesn't have a career of her own but what's on her husband's coat tails.

The boy seems very well-adjusted.

Kathyis6incheshigh · 23/04/2008 22:06

No way is the typical MNer like Tana Ramsey! Not that rich, for a start....

Piffle · 23/04/2008 22:06

ds1 hearts Dante... He says hecis the friend I always wanted!!!! Bizarre...
this weeks parents better.
IMHO

Kathyis6incheshigh · 23/04/2008 22:07

I think part of it was that this lot had kids who definitely were gifted as opposed to last week's younger ones, who had parents who wanted them to be gifted but in some cases it was really too early to tell.
ie this week was more about the children, last week more about the parents.

avenanap · 23/04/2008 22:08

I agree. It seemed that the one last week was more critical about the parents, the children were terrible though. Channel 4 have gone easy this week.

coppertop · 23/04/2008 22:10

I think Dante is probably my favourite out of all the children in the series. I'm glad he found a friend.

DirtySexyMummy · 23/04/2008 22:10

Good point, Tana Ramsay not so much then.

Hmm.. who else could be a 'typical MNer'?

mrsgboring · 23/04/2008 22:10

I agree, I like Michael's mother. I went to university with a lot of people very similar. It is a world that Michael will very likely fit into if he wants to. He'll find his place easily and I think they're making the right decisions.

Dante's parents are allowing themselves to be overwhelmed - their remarks about him "needing the stimulation that Michael can provide" (ahem) seem to overlook the fact they were talking a possibly unusually articulate, but otherwise completely normal form of adolescent twaddle. And the brain scan... oh lordy

avenanap · 23/04/2008 22:12

Typical MNer: doesn't sleep, eat, clean or leave the house. Has a live in nanny, has cleaner, internet shops because she's always online!

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