Has the Pandemic Made My Nephew a Genius?

Here’s what happened after being stuck with adults for a year

My family jokes that my 2 year old nephew is going to be a contestant on Jeopardy some day. He has memorized all the animals in his book, names of all his relatives in pictures, knows different tenses of verbs, negotiates to get a treat, knows what chair someone sat in 6 months ago at his birthday, has a sense of humor and is beyond brighter than any child I’ve ever met.

When I ask him a question — I see the wheels turning in his head. Everything the kids says is for a reason — he doesn’t babble. He amazes me every day at what he picks up and has learned.

I’m sure some of this intelligence is God given talent and being blessed with a good brain, but what if it’s something more?

Think about it. My nephew has no siblings and has been solely adults around for over a year now — due to COVID.

He listens and watches how we talk, interact and live. He watches, soaks it in, and repeats. Just like any kid would — he reacts to what he knows; adult life. He’s growing and developing in an adult-only bubble.

Maybe toddlers who have been at home with their parents will have picked up and learned more than we think. Maybe this pandemic hasn’t been such a bad thing for our very small children. Just maybe they will be better-equipped to handle life in the future.

Since my family has been cooped up away from friends and extended family (just like we all have) — we’ve poured our love and energy into my little nephew. We’ve given him more attention than we could have in our normal busy lives.

This undivided attention may just be the very reason he’s become so sharp. At this rate he’ll be on Jeopardy by the time he’s 10.