I woke up when the kids tiptoed into the room, and I opened my eyes and grinned at them. "Do I have bedhead?" I said.

"Well…" said Tia.

The twins assessed my hair and looked at me. "You look pretty, Mommy", said Grace, but she looked sort of doubtful.

"In a windy sort of way", said Alix with twinkling eyes.

"Or if you'd put your finger in an electrical outlet", said Tia. I could see that she was trying not to laugh.

Alix smiled. "In the wind."

"Oh boy", I said as I groaned. "Well, you will just have to put up with the wild look. I'm glad that you did your own hair this morning, or you, too, could have looked like this for school today."

The girls all laughed.

I pulled myself into a sitting position. "So tell me. How were your days?"

"Good", said Grace. "Did you give yourself healing kisses?"

"I did. All day long I touched my face and you know what? I was able to use a painkiller that wasn't as strong because of it. That meant that I didn't have to sleep as much during the day, and it was great. I was able to talk to you at school, and I was able to talk to my team and ask them to do the work for me to prove my theories. And after I talked to them, I went to bed and slept for the last four hours while the guys were doing the work. So that's what I did today. What did you do?"

"It was good, Mommy", said Alix. "Gracie and I read books to the other students. The teacher was surprised that we knew how to read. And then she was surprised that we knew how to do math. And then she was surprised that we knew how to tell time. No one else knew those things. Most people didn't even know their letters in English, let alone Spanish and French like Julie taught us, and they didn't know how to use a computer. The teacher was shocked that we were teaching ourselves how to type. I just told her that our sister can already type, and she's just one year older than us. I don't know why she was so surprised."

I smiled. "Sweetie, the three of you are very smart and, more importantly, you love to learn and are interested in everything. You are like Daddy that way. You have learned so much from Daddy and Auntie Tracy and Julie. However, most people don't have a Daddy that is interested in teaching his children, and they don't have an Auntie Tracy who encourages you to learn and investigate or an older sister who loves to share the things that she has learned over the years. I am very proud of what you have learned and are interested in learning. Daddy says that you get your curiosity from me, but Julie is curious as well so I think you get it from Daddy. And being curious is a good thing because that is the way that you learn."

"Mrs. Katz is going to call tonight, she said, to talk to you. I didn't do anything wrong though", said Tia. "I don't know why she is calling."

I smiled. "Tia, you are a well-behaved girl, and I don't believe that she is calling to complain or report bad behavior. I look forward to hearing about all the things that you know already and hearing how well you did in school today. How was it with being in grade one and not in senior kindergarten?"

"It was okay. Because junior and senior kindergarten kids are in the same class, I knew a lot of people in the grade one class. My teacher seated me next to one of my friends, as well, and we had fun today. It was a little boring though. We were learning addition, and many of the kids had never done that before. She had to explain it, and she had small sticks that people could use to check their math. I finished the whole sheet of math before most people had finished their first question, so the teacher gave me a harder sheet. I finished that as well. So she gave me a harder sheet. That was easy too. She said that, by the time she found a sheet that wasn't too easy, I was doing grade four math. Then we went to the library and were allowed to pick books. I went into the novel section. The librarian tried to tell me that I would like a good picture book and the teacher told her that she would help me pick a book if the librarian helped the rest of the class. We picked a Nancy Drew story. I read the first chapter during our quiet time today and I liked it very much. The teacher said that there are lots in the series for me to read if I liked it. I think I have already figured out what is going to happen, but it's still fun to read."

I smiled. "I used to like Nancy Drew stories when I was younger. But you should look for Cherry Ames books. They are very good as well. They are about a nurse who solves mysteries. I liked them even more than the Nancy Drew books. If they don't have them in the library, let me know and I will try to order some for the three of you to read. Actually, with Grace's interest in medicine I think she would especially like them."

Tia smiled. "I'll ask my teacher if they have them. I have a little bit of a problem seeing the upper shelves, and I don't think the teacher would be happy with me if I climbed up."

I laughed. "I agree. I don't think your teacher would like it at all."

Tia grinned. "It would be easy to do, though. It wouldn't be nearly as difficult as climbing the climbing wall in the gym."

I laughed. Although Alix was the most athletic, all three of the kids loved to use their bodies. Ranger had taken them to the climbing wall for the first time when they were three, and he had been teaching them how to climb the wall ever since. Of course, he had also been teaching a children's martial arts class every Sunday, and every employee was allowed to bring their kids to the session. A couple of times a week, Ranger had been teaching them self-defence as well, and when Julie came on the weekends she often would teach the kids some martial arts. On top of that, Ranger had started working physical activity into their day more. Every day before dinner Ranger played a half-hour of soccer with them or took them for a bike ride around the neighborhood. Ranger had bought a bike for himself as well so that he could accompany the kids. He had also bought the girls each a pair of roller skates and himself a pair of inline skates and they skated over to the park and along the path together each day on the weekend. The four of them enjoyed themselves immensely and the kids came back enthused. All the power to them. I tried a pair of inline skates once, and I found out why knee pads and elbow pads and protective gloves and helmets were necessary. I had lost control going down the hill, hit a crack in the sidewalk, flew through the air, and regained my feet just in time to skate up the tree. I got a good four feet up that fucking maple before I fell. I had a bruised butt for weeks, and I told my friend that I would never wear those skates again unless they started making protective bum pads.

Joe was a bit of a jerk when it happened. I had skated up the tree in front of his house, and he unfortunately saw. He ran and got a piece of paper, wrote a '10' on it in black marker, and came out on the porch and held it in the air like I was in the Olympics. It wasn't the only time that I had given him the finger over the years, but it was definitely the most heartfelt.

"If you climbed the bookshelves in the library, they might topple over and hurt one of your friends."

Tia sighed. "True, but it would be fun."

"Yes, but it wouldn't be fun cleaning up all those books."

Tia sighed again.

I turned to the twins. "What about you two? Did you have any interesting books in your class?"

Alix and Grace sighed. "No", they said with disgust. "Mommy?" said Alix. "Eli and Annie Tay-Tay are reading his Harry Potter book that Auntie Lindsay gave to us. He said it is very good. I was wondering whether, instead of us reading you books each night, if you could read a chapter of 'Harry Potter' to us instead? That's what Eli and Annie Tay-Tay do."

"I can do that. I will leave it up to you to continue to practice your reading. Reading practice is important and you three are such good readers. However, the Harry Potter books are very good and I think you will enjoy them very much."

The three girls wiggled in excitement. "Do you want to read the first chapter now?" said Grace with a grin.

I laughed. "I could do that."

Grace wiggled off the bed to go and get her book and, as she left the room, the phone rang. I answered it. "Hello, Mrs. Katz. How are you?"

I could hear Mrs. Katz smile. "I had a great first day, and I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed having Tia in my class."

"I'm glad to hear that. She was just telling me that she had a good day too, and she liked being in your class. She told me that you helped her get a Nancy Drew story and that she was greatly enjoying it. Thank you for not making her read a picture book. At home, we're currently reading a Geronimo Stilton book that her aunt and cousin lent to us. Tia has two little sisters who are a year younger than her, and each person reads a chapter at bedtime. They are enjoying the stories very much."

"I have never met a child in grade one who could read as well as Tia. Have you been working with them for long?"

"I don't know? I mean, we encourage curiosity and learning in our house. The kids have watched the odd movie, but no one in the family watches television. My husband and I feel that there are better things to do with our time. The kids are interested in learning how to do everything that we can do. That means that they see us typing, and when we saw them trying to type as well we bought them a fun learn-to-type program and left it near their computers so that they could play with it if they wanted. That was a couple of months ago. Tia has almost mastered it now and her sisters are able to type but are still learning a little where the keys are. We don't formally hold lessons, but as we do things we explain to the kids what we are doing and, as much as possible, we have them do it. For instance, at dinner we all make the food together. Usually this means that the kids make the salad and they are now learning how to make the salad dressing from scratch. They also stir their love into the food that their dad is making and between it all, the kids are very proud of the food when it hits the table and are more likely to eat a wide variety of food because of it."

"I'm fascinated. I have never met a child that knows as much as Tia, and Grace's and Alix's teacher said the same thing. I suspect that your method of parenting plays a part, in that you are giving the children many opportunities to learn and try things. What other kinds of things do the children know?"

"The children can do basic math. They know the basics in cooking and creating a nutritious meal and could do it in a pinch if they had to, they are excellent at doing self-defence and are very athletic and active. The person who works as their nanny is their aunt, and she's a Registered Nurse. She is brilliant with the kids and has taught them all about many medical procedures and the proper names of body parts. Because of that, they all know basic first aid, mouth-to-mouth and are in the process of learning CPR. Tracy also is interested in plants and has been teaching them plant care. They each have planted herbs that we are now growing in our kitchen. Tracy has created a science experiment with them, and they are recording the amount of water they are feeding the plants and their observations of what has happened, from how much they have grown to the weather that influenced it. The girls are fascinated."

"Your kids are brilliant."

I paused. "Are they? I would have said that they have an insatiable curiosity that we encourage, and they are very active and have a great aunt who lets them experiment according to their interests and according to what fascinates them. They are very driven, but at the same time Tracy encourages them to relax and have fun."

"I have talked to the principal about this already, but I would like to send Tia for testing. I suspect that she would do well in a class for the gifted. We do offer that in our school. The class is a special class that is mixed with kids from all ages, and the kids are encouraged to learn at their own pace rather than Tia getting stuck learning her letters when she is capable of reading novels. It focuses more on experimental learning."

I sighed. "But Tia would be able to go to the same school and play with the same friends?"

I could hear Mrs. Katz smile. "Yes. I understand that having another major change in her life might not be the best thing for her."

"That's true. Eli Morelli goes to your school, and Eli is Tia's cousin. She would be devastated if she couldn't see him at recess."

"I understand. In the meantime, I have been able to get some work that the older grades are doing, and I have a teaching assistant in my class who I have asked to spend some time with Tia and teach her the older grade work."

"Thank you. I know that Tia was a little bored today, but on the other hand I suspect that there aren't too many grade ones in the gifted class and I would hate for her to miss out on the socialization aspects of being in the regular stream."

"I understand", said Mrs. Katz. "Just for the record though, she is an outgoing child who is good at spending time with older people just as much as with kids her own age. You must socialize her a lot."

"We try", I said.

"Okay. I will let you talk to your husband about things and I will prepare the paperwork for the testing and send it home. If you have any questions, let me know and I will try to help. I'll give you my cell number so that you can talk to me any time."

She gave me her cell number before I thanked her and hung up the line. I looked at Tia, who was cuddled anxiously into me. "Mrs. Katz said that you did a wonderful job in her class today", I said. "She said that she had never met as good a reader as you."

Tia smiled with relief. "I like reading", she said.

"Yeah", said Grace, "but I like listening too, and I've got the Harry Potter book for Mommy to read."

I smiled. "I guess that we'll start reading then."

The three girls looked at me. "Yay!" they said.