The Weekend Daughter

Hamsum At Villa d'Este.

Perls Into the Sky.

Bridge Over Still Waters.

3 years ago, The Son met a girl.

1 year ago, The Son brought her home.

Since then, I have had a weekend daughter for most weekends. I think it is important for men to marry women more intelligent than themselves, simply because children's IQ is determined by maternal DNA, not paternal DNA. Unfortunately, most men prefer to marry women they feel superior to; and most women prefer to marry men smarter and more successful than themselves. Most men are attracted to physical attributes (pretty face etc...). Most women are attracted to intelligence and success.

This simply means that many intelligent women stay single, and many successful men have children dumber than themselves.

Happily, The Son has always liked clever girls. His crush in preschool was a quiet thing who was Teacher's Pet because she was such a sweet and intelligent girl. His crush in primary school was another quiet thing who topped the class and was a Prefect, to boot. She was way out of my little Blur Gong Gong's league.

Now, The Weekend Daughter is yet another quiet thing, who was ex-GEP (Gifted Education Program).

Looking at her, there is no way you can tell that she is gifted. She is quiet, humble and kind. However, as a psychologist, I know how to evaluate intelligence. The Weekend Daughter's fluid intelligence is impressive. She is also a talented painter/artist. See her works above.

Petunia has always found intelligence sexy. I am glad that The Son does too. The Daughter's boyfriend is also ex-GEP. If both of these relationships end in marriage, I am going to have a family full of very hard to control grand-children. Outwitting those little ones will be good for preventing dementia.

Actually, I am floored by both the level of intelligence and the humility of The Weekend Daughter's real family. Working together to solve a murder mystery game created by CluedUpp, we spent a day with The Weekend Daughter's family yesterday. The Weekend Daughter's younger brother is also in the Gifted Education Program. Within one afternoon, I was treated to various stimulating discourses pouring forth from the mouth of a 12 yr old boy...

- how to recognise cubic zirconia and why it turns dull over time

- an analysis of why it is NOT a good idea to jaywalk at a 4 lane t-junction

- why an opalite glows blue when light shines on it and glows brown when light shines through it

- why it is stupid to pay thousands of dollars for a jadeite bangle

- why raw stones are better than polished stones

- the difference between personality mental age and intellectual mental age

- the difference between nephrite and jadeite

All my life, I have been made to feel ashamed of my intelligence, mostly because people tended to think me arrogant when my mouth detailed a think through faster than they could think. Clearly, I was not clever enough to figure out that if I veiled my intelligence, I would be more likeable. I know that now. When someone commented that I did not seem smart enough to have a PhD, I took that as a compliment.

Still, it was quite lovely yesterday, to hang out with people who are really smarter than I am.