A few months ago we rearranged a storage closet downstairs, packed up what was stashed there, and created a Maker Space for Andy. A place where he can keep computers and monitors and arduinos and breadboards and wires and switches and toggles and god only knows what else. It mostly stays down there and what migrates back upstairs is easily confiscated chucked in the bin taken back downstairs. It works for now, the only problem being space. We’ve had to put a lot of his electronic stuff into storage, simply because there’s no room for it all. Doesn’t keep him from dragging in new tech stuff though. Some kids bring home sick animals to nurse back to health, my kid brings home dead technology to do the same.
It got so bad there for awhile this summer that he was forbidden to bring home anything new, and friends and relatives were threatened within an inch of their lives to not give him anything. But still he begged and pleaded and pretended to sneak off with tech that still worked, driving me close to (more) insanity. I finally had to tell him to shut up or it was all going to a farm to live out its days in the fresh air.
Smart ass returned awhile later with this:
Just in case you can’t read the teeny tiny print at the bottom, it reads as such:
Fine print: Once you sign this, you are NO LONGER eligible to revoke the status of this document. This means that you must plan for the future. If you fail to do so, you CANNOT whoop the entitled peoples (sic) butt.
Yeah. Don’t ever go toe to toe with a smart ass gifted kid. You’ll lose.
And he’ll print up a certificate to prove it.
I L.O.V.E this!!!! You can’t ever say you are bored with a gifted kid for sure! Once, mine threatened to charge me money for the affection I give him. $0.25 per hug and $0.50 per kiss. I thought he was joking until I saw a professionally typed bill in the mail a week later accepting cash, check, or credit. LOL
Keep these blogs coming! I squeal with excitement when I see them in my inbox (well, not out loud, of course)
PS. my son likes to build/take apart computers too. Is there some place he can learn how here in Chicago? Or do you get him the materials and let him go to town?
Charging for affection. That is hilarious!
We just put together a maker space for him and let him go nuts. I’m trying to find a place where he can learn it better, but keep coming up short. Even asked the computer teacher at the tech school tonight and he was stumped. STEM is this BIG THING, but you’re screwed if you’re trying to find a place for a kid to dive into it outside of school.
So glad you’re doing Nablopomo!
There is someone else who understands! Makes me feel better I’m not the only one…