Monthly Archive for July, 2007

CBS Assignment America broke this story on July 27:

“Some people like baseball better than football,” Kyle says. In fact, he tells CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman in this week’s Assignment America that he likes vacuums better than “everything.”

Kyle’s mom, MaryLynn, says the fire’s been burning since before he could say “Hoover.”

Kyle Krichbaum is the kids full name, he is twelve and he loves vacuum cleaners.

Never mind this non-story was told four months ago, when the lad appeared on Leno.

KK got his first vacuum at age 1, dressed up as a Dirt Devil for Halloween at 2, and, as a former teacher recalls, was vacuuming during school recess at age 6. He didn’t go out for recess, instead he vacuumed the school .

He now has 165 vacuums and runs them at home 5 times a day. Every room in the house has vacuums, except for his sister Michelle who asks:

I’m just like why, why, why, why, why, why? I don’t understand

Seems like sister Michelle may be the only well adjusted person in the household.
But is Kyle a truly gifted child? What future does he face as perhaps the world’s foremost authorities on vacuum cleaners?

Here is just an inkling of what he may face, especially without a mom like this.

As several folks may have picked up, my oldest son is, clinically speaking, profoundly gifted, and on the high end of that spectrum.

I can’t figure out why she would qualify it with “clinically speaking.” Is that a way of saying he tests well but really he has as much sense as tree bark?

Here’s what Vacuum Kyle may face: 

The needs of gifted students are largely ignored by educators and policy makers alike because of the mistaken belief that gifted education is only for wealthy, white children and that they can somehow get it on their own if their needs are ignored.

Wealthy?  Yeah, they got enough for 165 vacuum cleaners, I sure hope they aren’t eating cat food.

White? OMG, this kid is sooooooo white.

So Mr. and Mrs. Krichbaum, precious Kyle may have to attend a private academy for the vacuum minded.  I’m thinking  Big Ass Fans  of St. Oreck.

Gifted children are often distressed by television news.

A leading Australian expert on gifted children has warned parents about the effects of watching television news.

So my advice to the parents of Special K, keep the boy away from CBS Assignment American and ABC News – Australia. Only let the child watch Big Brother and Nancy Grace, nothing to scare kids there.

Hey, guess what? Advanced students are also intense. Like collecting vacuum cleaners, or tin foil, or fingernail clippings.

In case you haven’t already noticed, gifted children are intense. What I mean to say is, gifted children are INTENSE! A good day at school becomes, “the BEST day of my life;” something built out of LEGOs is “The MOST Incredible Creation” and cannot ever be disassembled; while an argument with one friend and, suddenly, “EVERYBODY hates me”!

MO–OOM! The kids all say my collection sucks. Well dear, that’s just what vacuums do. Just tell them you would rather hang with suckers than blowers.

Actually, Mom might have suggested that little Kyle might want to hang with kids that blow for a while.

One of the challenges for parents with a gifted child is to encourage them to develop a range of interest… Gifted children tend to be passionate and single-minded about their interests focusing their energy on the topics that absorb them, often to the exclusion of other activities…

So how do you tell if your child is gifted, or just a little out of step like Little Miss Sunshine at a pageant or like Lemoney Snicket?

Here’s a clue Mom and Dad.  If your kid shows an total obsession with a mechanical devise that gathers dirt and makes roomba, roomba, noices while riding in the car, I’d check it out.

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