A Mom Convinced Her 6-Year-Old ‘Unschooled’ Son Is A ‘Genius’ Despite Not Being Potty Trained Is Worried He Will Outshine Other Kids In Regular School
She is certain her child will be well ahead of his first grade peers.
Hryshchyshen Serhii | Shutterstock As a parent, you want the best for your child, so it makes sense that you might think they are capable of more than they actually are.
One aunt said that her sister truly believed her son was a “genius” when he wasn’t even potty trained at age seven.
One mom believed that her son was a ‘genius’ and other kids would be unable to keep up with him, even though he was not potty trained.
A concerned aunt took to Reddit to discuss her worries regarding her nephew attending school. Apparently, she and her sister have very different perspectives on things.
“My younger sister is a hot mess,” she proclaimed sadly.
She continued, “She has two kids, six and four. She was always firmly adamant she would homeschool, so the six-year-old didn’t attend kindergarten last year, but she also didn’t homeschool, she ‘unschooled.’ Needless to say, my nephew is extremely behind.”
This aunt said her nephew is “almost seven and still not fully potty trained.”
“I convinced her to enroll him into school this year and he starts soon, first grade,” she stated. “My sister is convinced he’s a ‘genius,’ he’s going to outperform all the other kids and be bored.”
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This woman’s sister is more than just convinced of her son’s superiority in the classroom, though. She thinks she needs to be involved to make his experience as positive as possible.
“She wants to email the teacher ‘ideas’ for her to adapt her lesson plans for him because first grade curriculum is too simple for him,” she said. “She also wants to exclude him from group work because she is ‘worried about him outshining the other kids.’”
While potty training can be different for every child, this little boy is past the age when he should have achieved this goal barring medical concerns.
It’s true that there is no actual age by which you should be potty trained. Instead, it is more important to consider a child’s general readiness.
The Mayo Clinic said, “Potty training success hinges on physical, developmental, and behavioral milestones, not age.”
However, they also acknowledged, “Many children show signs of being ready for potty training between ages 18 and 24 months. However, others might not be ready until they’re three years old.”
As the Mayo Clinic pointed out, some children may not be ready for potty training until they are older toddlers. But almost seven is well past toddler age.
Furthermore, many people pointed out in the comments of the Reddit post that, in most cases, children cannot attend public school if they’re not potty trained unless they have a physical or developmental disability that prevents them from being able to use the bathroom unassisted.
The Los Angeles Times confirmed this, noting, “Children with special needs can receive toilet assistance as part of an individualized education program. But generally, schools have not provided assistance to children without special needs, in part because of concerns about child abuse, said Gabriela Torres, an attorney with Disability Rights California.”
Commenters suggested that the Department of Children and Families should be contacted.
Several people who commented on the Reddit post said that what this mother is putting her children through “should be considered child abuse.”
The aunt explained that it gets even worse than what she had already revealed, but she has attempted to contact authorities, and nothing has been done.
“I totally agree,” she said. “I think she is very guilty of neglect. Her four-year-old’s teeth are rotted out. I live in a different state and have called social services before on her. They didn’t do anything.”
While calling DCF has had no effect in the past, many commenters were hopeful that if the school made the call, something would be done.
Regardless of what happens with social services, it is clear that this mother is neglecting her children and only making life harder for them.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of child abuse, there are resources available to help. Call 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) to speak with a crisis counselor 24/7.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.