Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Superpowers.

Today was Tallulah's 13th Birthday (really, not 23?) and I was thinking of all things she was for her card. Then it dawned on me, she actually has superpowers...reckon we might all have them.



At school

Tallulah (right) with cousin Leah today

Tallulah (right) on her 5th birthday with her friend Jordan who was born the same day

Jackson's over-the-top heartwarming birthday note
In Havana

In Cuba, back of the Lada taxi

When Tallulah was eight we spend two years driving around and doing testing and tutoring. She was a "slow" reader, found it kind of excruciating, and as you can imagine she totally panicked in tests. But what flummoxed all her teachers was that she wrote such great essays and poems and songs. In fact she could - and still does - write for hours and hours a day, it would just flow out of her. "It just doesn't make sense that she writes so easily" everyone kept saying.

Those two years of heartache and tears and loads of time and money trying to help her, with counsellors, tutors, testing and more testing  - what is wrong??? - didn't really yield anything concrete, I have to say.

Only one thing really stuck in my mind.

A wonderful reading teacher told us this: when Tallulah watches a movie, she plays a parallel but different reel in her mind. She will change the plot, insert herself into the action with lines, insert her friends into the action, change it from color to black and white and then back to different colors. Then she'll watch the actual movie. And then go back to her own editing.

She has trouble remembering her school schedule, but she knows all the words of every song after the first hearing. How do you know those words? I'll ask her as she sings along to every song on the radio.

The only explanation is that she has superpowers.  I bet you have some too.


59 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday to my dear Talluleh! Not my girls could carry such an imposing name with such style! Where may I have to privilege of pre-ordering her next novel....I just hate long lines!
    Love all those pics!!!

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    1. Thanks GSL, we just saw a beer named after her, or rather just named, an artisinal one thank goodness so only seasonal. I'm not sure that is a good thing or not.

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    2. My dear Grandma Cooper must be spinning in her grave! I promise you I'm not that bad speller as I think those BlogSpot gremlins always snack on a few of my letters.
      Was the outrageously interesting T. Bankhead the inspiration for our birthday girl?

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    3. Yes! We found out the CIA had a file on her (La Bankhead) and that was enough for me!
      BlogSpot gremlins always snacking on my capitals and gramma

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    4. I bet there's a novel (or two) in you, handsome! When are you starting your blog? We ladies have waited long enough...we need satisfaction. Claire

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    5. Darling Claire, the occasion of a talented and beautiful young lady's 13th birthday precludes me from saying anything beyond that your needs will be met and satisfaction is only where it begins...

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    6. Off stage chanting: G.S.L. Do. A. Blog. rep.

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    7. Ladies, GSL is almost ready for his close-up as next week The Lion's Den will launch. We're gonna have a big grand opening gala and I'm just trying to book this group of hip-hop-hotties called Platinum to sex up my sass.
      They're not called Platinum for nothing you know...their rider demands would make Liz Taylor blush....and the blond wants her dressing room done up in "post-ironic" pastel hues...

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    8. Cue the marquee lights. Get the wind machines going. Sounds like a jolly good gig, almost like going innernational. Actually just like going innernational

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    9. Ooooh! How exciting! GSL, I shall frock up in my best and do my hair just how you like it ;-)

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  2. Happy birthday to T! I think we all have our gifts and things like that in school are things I. Hope don't get her down at all! We all process differently and I hope she stays as creative always!

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  3. Hope she has a great day. That is a neat superpower too, song lyrics are better to remember than class schedules anyway lol

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  4. Happy Birthday Tallulah! It's the perfect time of year for birthdays. And I believe she does indeed have superpowers, the lucky girl.

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  5. Happy Birthday, Tallulah! I was very slow with reading... but sadly also rubbish at remembering lyrics!
    I hope she has a wonderful day!
    Sx

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    1. Look at your writing though - a superstar calligrapher!

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  6. Aw, you lucky gal...mother of a thirteen year old beautiful young lady. Have fun with that. As a society we try to pigeonhole everyone and when they don't quite fit "the" mold we aren't sure what to do. Sounds like she's just the best damn Tallulah out there. Perfect.

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  7. Tallulah sounds like a truly gifted soul. The way you describe her she reminds me of my niece. Happy birthday to her!! Have lots of cake!!

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  8. Happy Birthday to your gorgeous girl! She does have an amazing talent and a beautiful name. It's such fun for them to leave that tweenager stage.

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  9. Happy Birthday to Tallulah! She is a grand gal and I think she may be the soul mate of my Forrest, who only chooses to read "what interests him"...

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  10. It's trying for the whole family when schools can't pigeonhole a child whose gifts are not standardized. I remember reading that truly brilliant people bomb the SATs and PSATs because they can see how every of the multiple choice answers could be correct. I think Tallulah's other superpowers must be strength and patience.

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    1. WFF, she does do all her backpack organising the night before, which shows that she is compensating for everything else at this stage.

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  11. Happy Birthday, Tallulah! She looks lovely and full of sparkiness! Claire

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    1. Hi Claire - lovely word, sparkiness! and agree about GSL - we neeed to know!

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  12. What a lucky girl. She has superpowers and an understanding, insightful, compassionate Mother with a sense of humor.

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    1. Thanks Yippee on both counts. As for me, I'm failing frequently...

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  13. She's such a beautiful young woman.
    I am a very slow reader also but I finally figured out it's because I have a need to picture everything as I go. Like the teacher was telling you about Tallulah bringing film and editing to the story. I do that also and really never could understand why anyone would want to read fast because then you couldn't "see" the story.

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    1. Oh lovely, thanks RJ You know what, we try to do the visuals with her wherever she goes. And actually many in my book club who say they are the "slower" readers recall phrases and wonderful sentences that i don't remember at all....magical

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  14. She sounds like an amazing girl!

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  15. Happy Birthday Tallulah. She sounds a very imaginative and creative young lady.

    Her name is one that was on my list had I had a daughter after a story featuring a brave and sparky Tallulah on an old record.

    My youngest was 13 in April. :)

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    1. Oh how funny Sarah (the birthday and that the name Tallulah was one your list. It's also the name of a very plucky (ha!) chicken in a kid's book too

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  16. What a nice gift to give her -- an essay just for her. Love that - and love her superpowers, too! She must have a super mom...

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    1. As my friend said on Facebook, too often we're all about trying to fit them into what we'd like them to be - and in the end It's all about accepting who they always were all along.

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  17. Obviously a lovely girl with her own style of doing things. I was hyper as a child, still am, and no doubt would have be severely medicated if I were in school today. As an adult I was a teacher and had a special affinity for children who had been labelled hyperactive, we got along well.

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    1. Awesome you are using your superpowers to help others. I am the opposite of hyper, I'm very low energy and would benefit from a bit of revving up at all stages.

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  18. Didn't I just comment that I was in awe of what a young lady she has developed in to? Happy Birthday Tallulah!!! Welcome to teenage - dom!

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  19. What a great post. It must be fun for her to be a daughter to you in a house full of boys!

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    1. She is most complicated as girls should be - boys are pretty straight forward, like puppies they need their dinner and loads of running around.

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  20. Belated birthday greetings to you both.....two beautiful women in a house of men.....and all women have powers you know.....it's honing them we sometimes take time to do.x

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  21. Happy birthday to your beautiful daughter! Superpowers it is, and a tremendous amount of intelligence for things she likes. Shhh, don't tell, but I think one of her best superpowers is having a wonderful mom!

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  22. A late Happy Birthday Tallulah from me, she sounds just perfect .

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  23. GORGEOUS GIRL!HAPPY BIRTHING DAY MAMA BELLA!

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  24. Happy birthday, Ms Tallulah! What a lovely young lady. How proud you must be. We are doing the test thing with my 8 year old right now and your story has bolstered my parenting confidence about the process. We all have gifts and what a wonder to see your kids discover their own! Hope you celebrated the day spectacularly.

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  25. Happy Birthday to T! Love the card, such deeply heartfelt sibling sentiments there. Love your story about the reading too - I'm sure it was a frustrating, worrying and perplexing time... sounds like she has an amazing imagination and memory recall though! xx

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  26. Happy Birthday, Tallulah! She certainly does have superpowers!
    I've found that if a child doesn't conform to society's very narrow ideas of development timelines there is a lot of pressure to class it as a 'learning issue'. D, aged 9 now, has ongoing 'issues' due to his lack of interest in reading. The school were throwing around lots of labels (ADHD, dyslexia etc) for his supposed problems, but as far as I can see, he's just not standard - he's doing his thing in his own time.

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    1. Yes and some of our friends who have thriving businesses have dyslexia and ADHD and have learned all sorts of coping thingies which has actually helped them more. Also they have learned to be very good with people which in the end is why clients pick you.

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  27. Happy belated birthday to Tallulah! Hope it was a great one. What a pretty girl!

    Obviously you have a talented artist in your house! :) Hope she continues to write.

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  28. Happy Birthday to her, so sweet :) I hope all her wishes come true. I am the same...certain things make no sense to me, I panic when I had to take tests, but if a song comes on, I know what it is within a few notes and can remember all the words after hearing it once, our brains just seem to work differently really...imagination is our thing...she's a beautiful girl Xx

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  29. Isn't it wonderful to discover our children's talents. She sounds a very creative soul. Wishing her every happiness.
    "Your cool, I guess... (Love that!)

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  30. She is definitely special and learning things at different rates really has nothing to do with intelligence, in fact sometimes the slower you go the smarter you are (at least I tell myself) ha! Happy birthday to beautiful Tallulah! Love that card, he's obviously in love with her and I can see why :)
    xo Mary Jo

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    1. Less haste more speed I always tell myself, or is it the other way around?

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  31. Superpowers-how fantastic!! Tallulah is a beauty and has a special vibe about her. Love those photos. My youngest step-daughter was 13 when Scott and I married. It's amazing how fast the time goes. Enjoy your weekend (yay for a long one!).
    xx

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  32. Happy belated Birthday, Tallulah! Wow, she truly is very gifted in writing. So precious! I think the way a school is supposed to function is just not the way for all of us to learn and study. I hope she'll get through it so she can simply be her amazing self and do what she loves doing :)

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    1. Thanks Beate, yes many kids just can't sit down at a desk all day and learn that way. Think though that kids now are lucky that that is recognised. In my day (sounds of horse and cart) the rote learning lined up at desks was the only way considered

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  33. She's beautiful. And happy birthday to her.

    I think I was a lot like her. I'm still not much of a reader.

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