To: Rushmore Rocks; LucyT
1) HOMESCHOOL. If he's really that smart, then there's no reason he can't be accelerated into college level work as he's entering puberty [maybe even before then].
2) "he much prefers mental challenges....and gets bored quickly with kid stuff" - WARNING: Do NOT overlook the physical stuff.
Neglecting the physical aspects of life [cardio-vascular exercise, musculo-skeletal exercise, working with one's hands] is a really effective recipe for all sorts of physical, psychological, and emotional problems down the road.
He needs to be getting hard physical exercise at least five or six days a week - a competitive swim team is great for that [cardio].
In addition, I'd have him weight-lifting with selectorized weight stacks [musculo-skeletal].
Also, he needs to play little league football [NOT SOCCER!], so that he won't grow up to be a panty-waist.
And I'd be sure that he was outside doing lots of work with his hands, such as building tree houses with one of the men in the family.
Fishing is also an excellent means of getting boys out of the house and bonding with the men. And learning a skill like fly-tying is a good way to get him to work with his hands.
Another thing he can do is work with a microscope, bringing home water samples from the pond so as to examine the amoeba in them.
Finally, music lessons & instrument practice - ESPECIALLY PIANO!!! - form the perfect middle ground between the physical world which he needs to remain anchored to, and the mental world which will be trying to lure him into all sorts of pratfalls and traps and disasters.
But whatever you do, be absolutely certain that he is leading a very vigorous and energetic physical life - sitting in front of a computer screen or an XBox or a television set, for 10 or 12 hours a day, is a recipe for disaster.
To: Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo
Thanks for the advice. It is appreciated. Please see my post #17 on this thread. I would much prefer that he play football, but there is none available for him here in his age group. We live in the country.....lots outdoor opportunities available. His treehouse is a work in progress. As I type this, he and Mr. RR are down in the canyon panning for gold. “Guy” opportunities abound.
His access to technology is closely monitored and restricted.
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