My son is 5 and I know he is capable?

Question

My son will be 5 in one week, but he is an extremely bright responsible child while I understand he is only 5 he is capable of the thought process of a 5 th grader (He has been tested by 2 seperate doctars who both say the same thing one offered to send his I.Q scores for MENSA evaluation) but when we are in a grocery store or other public place people are rude to me about like sending him to find something in the grocery store; or letting him go to the car from the house to get things or leaving him alone while i go to the bathroom in public, how do I explain myself to them without going through the whole speil??

Answer 1

Let the kid be himself

dont care what others think

your a good person

Answer 2

He may very well be Mensa quality, but that won't keep a predator from hurting him if the opportunity arises. That is probably why you are getting the stares.

Answer 3

He might have the mental capacity of a fifth grader but he still is physically a 5 year old boy.

Depending on where you live it might be perfectly fine to let him get something from the car on his own. (I'd be watching out the window the whole time anyways)

But I would NOT leave him outside a bathroom in public while you use it.

Answer 4

just because he is smart it will not stop his abduction and nor does it make his peripheral vision happen earlier (it comes at 10) so he should not be going amongst traffic nor should he be going to toilets. Teenage boys get raped in toilets and can't defend themselves so how could a 5 year old. Just because he is clever does not make him  an adult. He is 5 and should be treated as such

Answer 5

People may be judgmental but if I were you I would be more worried about social services.  I believe that you know what tasks he is ready to handle but I know the state and the law won't feel the same way.  You could get into a lot of legal trouble and possibly change your exceptionally bright son's future.

Answer 6

It does not matter how intelligent or capable he is, he is five years old. Unless he is also six feet tall and weighs 200 pounds he should not be walking around alone.

BTW Keep in mind that intelligence does not always equal maturity or good decision making. So when a stranger hears you call him "Joe" and then follows him to the freezer section and walks up to him and says "Joe---your Mom slipped and hurt herself. She sent me to find you---Come with me---they took her to the ladies room to clean her up and bandage her" he is going to do what exactly???? ask for i.d.?

And when he gives the stranger a hard time and the stranger says "she was crying alot. I think she really needs you..." then what?

It has nothing to do with how smart he is or capable---it has to do with what is appropriate for his age and size.

FYI If you think the scenario I suggested is out of whack---think again. A local company had someone give a speech to employees about protecting their kids from predators when one of the admins had someone try to snatch their kid at a mall.

Keep your kid safe, okay?

EDIT PLEASE READ THIS__I JUST READ YOUR ADDITIONAL NOTE: You live in a small town with no violent crime? Do you REALLY know who your neighbors are? Have you checked online to see if there are any registered s*x offenders in your town?

IT DOESN"T MATTER who lives in YOUR town unless you live someplace where the next town is 100 miles away---people from OTHER towns will go to YOUR GROCERY STORE to shop. So your town of 5,000 people has no pedophiles and everyone is nice--what about the town 10 miles to your north, and south,etc. Are all of those people 100% trustworthy and safe???

Some parents at a local religious school were freaked out to discover that a parent of one of the first graders is a convicted s*x offender. These people go to church together, their kids go to school together and they had no clue about this guy's past. Do you think you know the nameless stranger in the dairy aisle as well as these people knew the man who sat next to them  every Sunday for 5 years???

Ever watch Dateline's "To Catch a Predator"? Google it and read up.

Answer 7

Just because he is a genius, it doesn't mean that he can still make the best choices in a emergency situation. Also will he know what to do if someone tries to take him.  

Just because he is smart, keep treating him like a 5 year old. He is just a kid, let him be one.

Answer 8

This is perfectly normal. Smart people are usually not near as bright when it comes to behavior. i would know. Im in 5th grade and get all A+'s but am unfortunately a rebelious brat. I think your son is alot like my lil sister she is super bright. I think this is a great oppertunaty but only if he wants to go because ive gotten a free trip to washington dc for exceeding with my grades. but i dint want to go so i go tsomething else insted it still was a huge honnor.

Answer 9

be careful you don't get arrested for child neglect or endangerment.  instead of focusing on others, spend more time letting the child be a CHILD cuz he won't be for much longer.

Answer 10

u shouldnt have to explain ur self its ur child. dont worry about wat other people thing. tell them to have their own child and raise them the way they want. congrats on the baby genuis

Answer 11

I understand that you have a higher level of trust for your child, but others might be concerned about your trust in the public.  Leaving a child alone in public while you go to the restroom isnt about trusting the child, more so about someone else that could come and do something to him that he cannot control, or take him etc.  I know at a young age I was trusted with a lot of things as well, however the world is very different than it used to be and a lot of people are extremely protective of children in public places or in ways that they are out of sight of a parent.  Again, it probably isnt to insult you or your child, just the risk of something happening out of your, or his, control.  Congrats on having such an advanced child, I am sure he will do amazing things! Always awesome to see.  Being smart and being safe need to go hand in hand.  Good luck!

Answer 12

he's 5 he has no business being alone in stores, or in public, he may be the smartest kid  in the world ( all our kids are) but that doesnt mean if someone  tries to grab him he will know what to do, or that he wont fall for the "lost puppy" trick, or any number of things can happen, my daughter is very mature for her age and  i forget sometimes that shes as young as she is, but you cant be doing that when it comes to your childs safety.as far as sending him to the car to get something, as long as he doesnt take a finger off in the door, it depends on what kind of neighborhood you live  in.