My six year old son, who happens to be what we in the mom profession call a “triple threat;” smart, willful and extremely manipulative, told his teacher the reason he misbehaves is because his body wont do what his brain asks of him. This response set off a flury of attention. “Children don’t say things like that unless there is something very wrong.” They advised nervously.
I’m not living in denial or unwilling to see my kid’s flaws. Honestly, I’m such an obsessively self-analytical creature (which extends to my offspring as well), that I think I’m the first person to point out and try to fix their imperfections. But his teachers see his disruptive behavior and subsequent brain/body response as proof of some serious psychological impairment. They want me to have a full neuro-psych evaluation – only $1500 (not that money matters when you’re talking about your kids). I said in his defense, “Look, he probably heard someone say that. He says a lot of weird stuff.”
“Well,” counseled the experts, “Most 6 year old boys do not say a lot of weird stuff.”
Do you ever feel like you just can’t win?
Unmotherly Insights 
Your son clearly has a serious case of being a smart and sensitive six-year-old boy. What were you thinking?
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It is obvious that you are speaking about an ingenious little boy … who else would come up with such a clever, funny answer. Actually, this response probably stymied the teacher. Not knowing how to deal with a youngster who thinks “out of the box”, the immediate reaction is to recommend psychological counseling. I also had a little boy who did not follow all the rules. This little boy grew up to be an extemely intelligent, caring, successful professional man who has great insight into people. Perhaps it is the teacher who needs the help, not your son.
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