Intelligence 101

Lately my ears have heard the phrase, "I'm not smart" in my house.  These words sting like an insect bite and my heart aches every time I hear my boys say these words, let alone believe them.  I'm hearing more frequently from Jay these days.  He's at the age where he understands his obstacles and how it sets him apart from others.  I heard Dr. Kathy Koch speak at a conference last weekend (Yep, I'm back to the conference again) and she commented on how all the measuring and testing in schools is destroying our kids (agreed) but that every child has an intelligence.  She categorized these intelligences as:
The intelligence of curiosity, to ask questions that others judge irrelevant (this is Nick)
The intelligence of playfulness, an attitude towards life (both boys fall under this category)
The intelligence of imagination, to close your eyes and "see" (my niece, Lauren, so has this intelligence)
The intelligence of creativity, to give birth to new ways of looking at things
The intelligence of wisdom, to experience wonder of the world directly without blinders or preconceptions
The intelligence of inventiveness, hands on creativity (this is Jay.  He constructed an entire tree house himself.  Nick also falls under this category)
The intelligence of vitality, being awake to your senses.  Kids who are in constant motion, kids who are loud and experience things through their senses (this is Jay and Nick)
The intelligence of sensitivity
The intelligence of flexibility
The intelligence of humor, looking at things differently (this is Jay and Nick.  Nick is happy go lucky, Jay has a dry sense of humor)
The intelligence of Joy, people that have this have all the other traits.  It comes from deep inside us when a new connection is made. 
I am really trying to focus on these intelligences and spending a lot of time praying about them, praying that my boys see themselves in these intelligences.  Just this week I was having a "coming to Jesus" with Jay and pointed out to him (again) that his dad and I both struggled through school and that was back in the 80's, when schools and parents didn't know as much as they do now.  I asked him point blank if he considered Mike and I successful.  He said Yes and when I asked him why he thought we were successful he answered by saying, "Because you and dad always put me and Nick's needs above your own."  I was touched and was reminded that in life it's not what you scored on a test that matters, it's not how much money you make, it's about your experiences and how you are loved and how you love others that really defines success.