After I read them chapter one of Betsy-Tacy and Tib and we had dinner and watched a movie together (Penguins of Madagascar), BB curled up on the couch and started reading me Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. My mind was blown, yet again, listening to her read. Private school looks good on this kid – she was tackling words that I did not anticipate her being able to read but barely paused to consider.

There were a few of those tricky English words that don’t follow basic pronunciation rules at all that I had to help her out with – tricky vowel sounds and such – but that still left her 90% of the words that she didn’t need help with. And she was accurately expressing the right emotions for what was happening like a read aloud champ. I remember MM’s teacher making a similar comment about his reading – in the second grade.

For some reason, I never questioned that MM is brilliant and smart beyond his years and destined for greatness – but BB keeps her smarts closer to her chest, or at least she has up until now. Now, we’re all holding onto our seats and bracing ourselves for the smartest kid we’ve ever encountered – for a girl who can read chapter books in kindergarten and probably secretly knows how to do long division as well. She’s probably already teaching herself basic chemistry in her spare time while working on her acceptance speech when she wins the presidential election in 2046.

Get ready. She’s coming for you.