Other parents are not so supportive of their
child prodigy. On the contrary, some parents
even see their offspring's gifts as a way to draw
attention to themselves and their own interests.
Boris Sidis, for example, was a well-known
scientist with strong opinions about making the
most of one's intelligence and about raising
children. When his son Billy was born, Boris saw the child as an opportunity to test his theories. From Billy's birth, it was clear that he was
an exceptional child. His parents utilized every
opportunity to teach him language, math,
science, and logic. Boris was very poor, but he
used his limited resources to buy or acquire
toys and books for the young genius. Billy Sidis
spoke five languages at age five. He passed
entry exams for MIT and Harvard Medical
School at age nine and was admitted to Harvard
at age 11. He was considered a genius in
mathematics, physics, and languages.
Boris claimed that his methods of childrearing vere responsible for his son,s abilies
and took his story to the press. The press, in
turn, focused more on the young Harvard student's
odd personal life than on his accomplishments.
It was soon clear that Billy was unprepared to relate
to other people, function successfully in the real world,or manage the challenges of being different.
After college, he lived an isolated life. Despite his
intelligence, he died unemployed and in poverty.
When people are unusual, they attract
attention. In the case of child prodigies, the attention they receive is both positive and negative.
It is positive because most people admire
intelligence. It is negative because prodigies are
very different from other people. They are a
challenge for teachers, who expect seven-year olds to prefer Batman to Beethoven. They are a challenge to parents, who want to help them
but often lack the resources or find their needs
and desires difFicult to understand and meet.
They present a challenge to scientists, who want
to study them without further isolating them From
normal society. And they challenge the workl
because they reveal the tendency that people have reject those who are different from the norm.