Over the weekend, C. explained to me that a number of countries are considered to be part of both Europe and Asia (and he listed those countries, of course); he named all the countries that were once part of Yugoslavia; he informed me that Zaire no longer exists (something I didn’t know — I’m not exactly an expert at current political events); and he quizzed me about which Scandinavian country owns the most territories (I failed).
In case you can’t tell, C. is currently into maps.
He has state maps, country maps, world atlases. Road maps, political maps, physical maps. Fold-out maps from AAA, books full of maps, and playing cards with maps on them. He has spent his allowance on maps, and he’s “inherited” maps from Chad’s car. Even his third-grade teacher, when cleaning her house last week, called me to see if C. would like a geography book that she’d found.
When C. finds a topic that interests him, he dives in completely. He immerses himself in information, finding out everything he possibly can about that subject. Some might call him obsessive, but I like to call him wholehearted. He doesn’t do it halfway; he’s consumed, enthralled, committed.
C. has always been this way. When he was four years old, he could tell you more than you ever wanted to know about our Solar System, including weather patterns on Neptune and how many moons each planet had (and many of their names).
At age five, he could identify any car on the road based on the mere glimpse of that car’s taillights. Make & model, and a rough estimate of the year.
I have to admit that I’ve contributed to C.’s topic-immersion. I’m always happy to provide a book or two on the subject du jour, to encourage a love of reading. And the truth is, I’m a bit of a research nerd myself — I’ve been known to learn every little detail about whatever interests me at the moment. Google is my friend and I often tell my husband, Chad, “I speak the language that search engines understand.”
Though I sometimes get exasperated when C. wants to quiz me for the 100th time on facts I can’t possibly know (since I haven’t been reading Time for Kids World Atlas every night before bed), I love seeing this aspect of him. I wonder where this drive to research and learn will lead him. I watch to see what the next topic will be. I think that this wholeheartedness will serve him well in life.
And one thing’s for sure: I wholeheartedly love him.
I remember when he was into the Solar System – how he blew us away by lining up Grant’s balls and telling us which planet was each ball.
I love how you ended this sweet post! I think it’s so cool how he jumps right into different subjects at different times. And good for you for encouraging his interests.
I agree with Susanne–great ending.
Kyle loves maps too. At two he knew when we were headed to Costco or his buddy William’s house. Now anytime we get a map out in the car, he wants to look at it. He loves the GPS screen in Terry’s car.
And I didn’t know about Zaire either. . . .
What a neat quality and how great you’re able to see and nurture this in your boy!
Maybe he will be a detective. Sherlock Holmes (or at least A.C. Doyle) said that there are 3 necessary ingredients to be a great detective. Observation, Deduction, and Knowledge. He is working on gaining knowledge by observing the world around him. So, how can we practice deduction? “A definition of deduction is to reach a conclusion by reasoning. One looks at all available evidence and tries to see a pattern.” (The Case of the Rewrapped Presents)
Or if not a detective, how about a writer of detective stories! That sounds like fun.
Well, what ever vocation he chooses, I love him too.
Great post! I love that he’s like this, I think it’s a wonderful quality. He’s going to grow up doing and loving and being everything with his whole self. He will love the Lord, love his family, work hard, play hard and be the best he can be. I’d say you guys are doing a great job
Encourage his writing skills. I have been doing some freelance web writing, which is a lot of fun for a research junkie like me. You never know what subject your writing clients will come up with next.
Jeremy is the same way. Sometimes I call it obsessive, but I love that he really gets into things “wholeheartedly”. He became obsessed w/ sea life around age 5. Specifically octopuses, then he branched out into other cephalopods, then whales, dolphins and sharks also. He also loves cars and the solar system. The map thing is a great idea, too. I love nuturing my kids interests and seeing them love to learn for themselves.
I’ve got a husband and a son like this. Whatever they are “into” at the time, they are INTO. They live and breathe it.