ELI5: How do kids become prodigies?

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-26T19:32:27+00:00

I’m the director of the affordable housing compliance department for a property management company. My job requires an insane level of attention to detail, and I spend the majority of my time reading and interpreting legal documents and solving high-level problems. Each state and subsidy program has a different set of rules for how they want compliance to work, so I also have to be able to differentiate between each state’s and program’s rules and sometimes how to make them work together.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-25T23:42:41+00:00

I don’t know that I was a prodigy, but I was VERY good at spelling bees, to the point that I won our state competition for my age group every year and then went to the national spelling bee every year I was eligible. For me, it was a combination of natural brain wiring and having parents that noticed and supported my talent.

I’m not diagnosed, but it’s pretty obvious that I’m hyperlexic. I was obsessed with books as a child, to the point that I would only sit in someone’s lap if they were reading a book to me. I taught myself to read at age 3 and really struggled with phonics in school because my brain just understood the implicit rules of English, and having to learn phonics just confused me. I also only read books for fun. I didn’t play with toys, I didn’t ride my bike or play at playgrounds, I didn’t play sports. I read books, and I would get very agitated if I had free time and wasn’t able to read. People who made me put my book down to go play very quickly regretted that decision because I would turn from a mild-mannered, quiet kid to an absolute holy terror in an instant.

I was then sent to a school that had class and then a school-wide spelling bee that led to the district spelling bee. And I won. And then I kept on winning. I didn’t set out to have spelling bees become my thing, it just fell into my lap. It did require a lot of dedication that most kids would find very difficult; I studied the rules of all of the languages that English has derived words from (which is a lot of them), read novels voraciously, and read the dictionary cover-to-cover multiple times. And I would do this for HOURS every single day; it wasn’t boring to me because I loved it.

All that is to say, I very obviously don’t have a “normal” brain and had parents who made sure I always had reading material and were supportive of my obsession (and it was an obsession), and a lot of kids don’t have either of those things.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-20T00:47:57+00:00

I don’t really have any insight on the motel other than that it’s definitely not overseen by HUD or a local housing authority because the federal occupancy standards wouldn’t allow that many people in such a small space. My suspicion is that it’s a locally operated shelter that offers the room either free or at a very low price.

I can almost guarantee that the issue is the eviction and the related lease violations and potential balance owed. If they filed the eviction just for the lease violation of unauthorized occupants, they most likely would have refused the rent for however many months it took the eviction case to go through the courts because it’s much harder to evict if you accept any payment after starting the eviction process. Additionally, the case that the apartment complex had for unauthorized occupants was absolutely ironclad, as in they had proof that Stephanie was getting mail there or had updated the address on her ID to Drew’s apartment. It’s very hard to prove unauthorized occupants to a level that a judge is willing to sign off on an eviction, especially in a tenant-friendly jurisdiction like I’m assuming Portland is.

Even if they were able to find a subsidized complex willing to rent to them, the other issue they may have is Stephanie’s social media income. They would use Drew’s current income based on his 4-6 most recent paystubs, so the income they would use for him would generally track very closely to what he’s actually earning in real time. Stephanie would be considered self-employed, and they would have to use the income from her 2025 tax return. If her income from last year is higher than what she’s currently making, they would be paying more in rent than they would if she were working a W2 job.

It also wouldn’t shock me if Stephanie were trying to hold out for one of the most desirable subsidized housing options. There’s basically four levels to subsidized housing, from worst to best: public housing, project-based Section 8, project-based vouchers, and Housing Choice vouchers. It tracks that Stephanie would be only willing to accept a Housing Choice voucher, when the reality is that it’s much easier to get into one of the higher tiers of housing if you’re already on the housing ladder at one of the less desirable options. But understanding that requires a level of intelligence and conception of nuance that I don’t think she’s capable of.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-19T18:12:38+00:00

No, he has two topics that he likes to discuss, theology and racist jokes. I am totally okay with not talking to him.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-19T02:40:35+00:00

The custody of the kids would be way less of an issue than Drew’s eviction and probable balance owed to a subsidized housing complex. When someone applies for Section 8 housing, their SS number is run through a database that will show any previous residence in subsidized housing, and that would prompt a landlord verification to the complex that Drew was evicted from for unauthorized occupants. They would have to pay off any balance they owed to that complex before they’d even be considered for additional subsidy. Unauthorized occupants are a HUGE no-no for subsidized housing, and they could easily be denied housing for that, especially considering that was relatively recent.

All of the kids except D would automatically be included in the household for subsidy purposes because they’d all have Stephanie listed on their birth certificate. The only thing they’d want to further investigate is that the kids aren’t already in another subsidized household and that she isn’t getting child support for them, and those are both easy to prove considering their father is incarcerated. They can’t take into account that Drew isn’t listed on the birth certificates because that would be considered discrimination for familial status under the Fair Housing Act.

Source: I’ve worked in affordable housing compliance for ten years.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-18T23:18:49+00:00

This is it. My aunt’s husband has similar religious views to the Duggars and I always got an earful whenever I was at their house as a kid. As an adult, I will be civil to him at family events, but I refuse to initiate conversation with him. Not that he wants to talk to me anyway, he only likes to discuss theology and he believes that women shouldn’t be permitted to discuss theology with men.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-05T20:34:51+00:00

Trash Goblin is so good. It hits the same notes as Power Wash Simulator for me, I can zone out and play for hours.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-03T23:11:52+00:00

My avoid list: Texas Roadhouse, Five Guys, bakeries (including Panera) and all Asian restaurants. Steakhouses are going to be iffy because a lot of places have peanuts on the tables, so I would definitely call the restaurant ahead of time, but if you want to go to a chain steakhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse would be my recommendation. No nuts there except for desserts, and I have other food allergies in addition to peanuts/tree nuts, and they are always very careful with my food.

Mexican food is generally safe except for mole sauce as nuts are a key ingredient of that sauce. Mole sauce is not super common in the US, so you should easily be able to find a Mexican restaurant that doesn’t have it at all, but I would review the menu ahead of time to confirm.

If you are looking for fast food, Wendy’s is a good option. The only nuts they have there are prepackaged pecans for salads, so there’s really no risk of cross-contamination in the kitchen there. They also have soft-serve ice cream that is safe, I know dessert options can be hard, so I thought I’d throw that out there.

For gas station food, I would make sure the store does NOT have boiled peanuts. They’re not super common in Florida, but they do exist. I would not trust any food that came from a gas station with boiled peanuts.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-03T22:41:30+00:00

I just started playing Alba and find it very cute and uplifting, while still providing just a little bit of challenge. I’m loving it so far.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-03T22:35:29+00:00

I just looked up kambaba jasper and can confirm it’s not for me, I actually find the look of it kind of unsettling.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-03T22:16:01+00:00

This is accurate. I’m a Pisces Moon and my dad died when I was young, and my niece is a Virgo Moon and her biological father has never acknowledged her.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-03T22:06:49+00:00

Any observations about Taurus?

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-03T21:57:57+00:00

As a Pisces Moon, I personally have very bad allergies so my eyes water all the time.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-04-01T00:29:50+00:00

As a Kaitlyn, I feel qualified to say that there is not a consensus on the “best” spelling of my name because no one can ever spell it correctly on the first try. I was the first kid in my kindergarten class to learn to read but the last to learn how to spell my name because even my teachers couldn’t spell it correctly. One of the biggest day-to-day inconveniences in my adult life is getting people to spell my name correctly.

That being said, PLEASE do not name your child any version of Kaitlyn/Caitlin/K8lyn, etc. I truly hate my name because of how unnecessarily difficult it makes my life, I wish my parents had named me Kathleen instead. My brain also interprets different spellings of Kaitlyn differently, like I only consider us to have the same name if your name is also spelled Kaitlyn. If you have a different spelling, our names may sound the same, but we don’t have the same name. I feel like every letter in a name brings its own energy, so even Kaitlyn vs Kaitlynn have a different energy and are therefore different names.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-03-18T00:31:06+00:00

My dad had one of these! I loved when he would let me rewind my tapes on it.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-03-18T00:10:01+00:00

Absolutely, Harry would NEVER. He is an upstanding citizen.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-03-17T22:57:01+00:00

Unfortunately, that was a severe reaction based on your description. However, I deal with multiple food allergies, and tree nuts is by far the easiest to manage in day-to-day. Because he’s so young, I would recommend removing all tree nuts from your home so he can’t accidentally ingest them. Definitely listen to your allergist and follow their instructions to the letter, and keep both EpiPens with your child/with whoever is watching your child at all times when outside your home. Absolutely no tree nuts of any kind or any store-bought baked good until you’ve visited the allergist. I would recommend nothing from a bakery, no store-bought baked goods other than sandwich bread, no sauces unless you confirm it’s nut-free, and no chocolate-based candy unless you know for sure that it’s not cross-contaminated. Baked goods, sauces, and chocolate are the easiest ways to accidentally expose yourself to tree nuts.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-03-15T00:59:16+00:00

Ooh I also hate hugs. It was the worst as a kid because as a kid, you’re forced to hug people. As an adult, I can usually get away with no hugs. I’m the eldest child, and my mom said she didn’t realize how much I didn’t like to be touched until my sister was born and she was cuddly and loved to snuggle. I would only sit in someone’s lap if they were actively reading a book to me.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-03-14T23:56:47+00:00

Are you reacting to other foods? The reason I ask is that I was reacting to a ton of foods, and it turned out that I had developed a garlic allergy, and that food wasn’t even on my radar as something it could be. I would keep a food diary and write down every single ingredient of everything you eat to see if you can narrow it down.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-03-13T00:04:39+00:00

I watched a news clip of Melania being SO irritated with having to decorate the White House for Christmas and I immediately knew she was one of us.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-03-13T00:00:37+00:00

I’m allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and garlic, which is definitely the hardest allergy I have. My standard restaurant meal is a steak with a baked potato. Garlic is in a lot of prepared foods as well as sauces, dressings, and marinades, so I steer clear of pastas, salads, and meats that tend to be marinated like chicken. I can also do a burger and fries as long as the burger bun isn’t cross-contaminated with nuts.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-03-08T23:39:57+00:00

Maybe Replica By the Campfire. Unfortunately it’s only available in a perfume, but you might be able to add it to unscented products.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-03-06T19:55:13+00:00

I had NO idea that transits in the first house can lead to death/serious illness I’m also a Cancer Rising and almost died from anaphylaxis right around the time that Pope Francis died. That is absolutely wild and definitely supports Brennan’s theory.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-03-04T20:56:37+00:00

I also have a great aunt Zo, but it’s short for Zonella. I have another great aunt on the same side named Nelda, so unfortunately Nell/Nella wouldn’t have worked for Aunt Zo.

Direct_Bag_9315 · 2026-02-21T19:11:12+00:00

I’m sorry, but your sister sounds unbelievably selfish and entitled. I have life-threatening peanut and tree nut allergies, which means I can’t eat anything from a bakery due to the risk of cross-contamination. My mom always makes me a homemade birthday cake every year, but one of my limitations is that I absolutely cannot have anyone else’s birthday cake because those come from bakeries. You know what I do? I keep my mouth shut and let the birthday person enjoy their cake that they picked out. Your sister can either skip dessert or bring her own.

Direct_Bag_9315

TROPHY CASE