My Kid Is Odd

Agent N is 8. If you have ever spent time with an 8 year old boy you will discover that they are just straight up the weirdest people on earth. They are also hilarious and fun, but only when it's just you and just them. If they are in the presence of ANYONE else, they're weird.

Agent N likes to talk to himself. In the bathroom.

Yesterday, I hollered out to him: "Agent N! Why are you talking to yourself?"
Agent N: "I'm not! I'm muttering!"

I rest my case.

Also note: Agent N is both brilliant and afflicted with ADHD. Before you tell me I can fix that (by that I mean the ADHD, not the brilliance) by feeding him organic, grass fed, PBS-watching beef that was kissed before bed every night, I am telling you to eff off. If you want proof that ADHD is real, come spend 2 days with Agent N. The first where is is not medicated so that he makes you absolutely insane and want to put your own eyes out because the emergency room would be better than spending another minute with him... and the second day, where he is medicated and is the sweet, wonderful boy that I know is inside of him. He is not medicated to oblivion. He is himself. Of this I am not ashamed.

And the brilliant part? That's not just a mom being proud. I thought for a long, long time that he was just a little smarter than normal. Maybe. No big deal. In the past year we moved from one state to another because of my husband's job. The state we just moved from didn't test kids until 3rd grade. Not so in the new state and so year he was tested. Agent N is in 2nd grade and he reads on a 6th grade level. And he prefers math and science over reading. His teacher gives pre-tests in math and if they get two or less wrong, they don't have to take the final test. Agent N has yet to take a math test this year.

I am not bragging. I don't entirely know what to do with this. I am not a math or science person. I often use a calculator to check his homework.

Back to the oddity... as I sit here he has his first friend over from his new school. Agent N doesn't quite know what to do with a friend in the house. Usually he has Agent X to beat up on and that's the extent of it. He has one friend in the neighborhood, let's call him Ranjeet, and that's it. Ranjeet's parents don't let him come into our house, and vice versa. Agent N has been bossy and a little hyper. I don't want him to make a billion friend mistakes and never have another friend in the house. On the other hand, I need to let him learn. I have stepped in once or twice, but generally I have just let him do his thing.

I feel confident Agent N and friend are wrestling upstairs right now. There is yelling, thumping, giggling, and the occasional howl. I'm letting it go until someone cries. I'm just happy he has a friend.