To Understand REALLY Smart Children...

Some of you have really smart children. They may not always do exceptionally well in school. But they have an adult kind of self-awareness and occasionally have insights that shock adults.

If you'd like to understand more about how these children think and experience the world, I have an unusual recommendation for you: read the sci-fi book Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

I've never read anything else that better describes the challenges and skills of these children. They don't think of themselves as children, actually, and quickly learn how to mask aspects of themselves around adults -- because most adults are uncomfortable around them, or even frightened. One of things Card correctly captures is their strong desire to be loved.

I've probably read this novel twenty times. Yes, I do see a character very much like me in the book. (I'm not Ender, but those who know me may recognize me in another key character.)

This is not an explicitly Christian book, nor written as a parenting manual. There is some violence in the plot. It is definitely not a book for younger children to read. But I do recommend it to adults for the insights you can learn about human behavior. It's a well-written story. (Actually, it's the first of a series of related novels, but it's the best.) If you don't have a child or grandchild like this, there is still probably one in your sphere of influence.