can littles have adult level skills?

Jimmy, our 8 year old part, decided he wanted to draw a picture for our therapist. When I saw his drawing I was shocked. It's a picture of a bunny rabbit but its really, really good. much better than I could do. Granted, Jimmy draws every time he gets a chance, it's almost all he does. But still this seems to be beyond what an 8 year old could do. Are we strange? Is this possible?

I've been questioning my diagnosis lately. Susan says I'm just going back into denial but, this doesn't help. I don't see how a kid could do something at that high a skill level. Thanks for any input.
Geoff

I think it's completely reasonable for little ones to have adult level skills. None of mine do, but I have known children that were better than adults at some things, including art. For example the boy my mom nannies for is only six years old, but he can build mechanical things like you wouldn't believe, without his parents or my mom showing him how to do it. And on the Ellen show I say a six-eight year old boy that could play the piano like Mozart.

So, yeah, I'd say it's possible.

I guess I just can't decide what's real. Things have been tough lately, and when things get tough I always start questioning the DID.

Sometimes I go into denial, and when I am in denial I can't hear any of them. It's almost as if they don't exist. So I think maybe I don't really have it, and it was just a delusion. But then something happens that forces me to realise that I do have it. I'm tired of that particular roller coaster.

This drawing just made me feel like Jimmy couldn't really be a kid but, I don't understand DID that well.
Geoff

James9 wrote:Jimmy, our 8 year old part, decided he wanted to draw a picture for our therapist. When I saw his drawing I was shocked. It's a picture of a bunny rabbit but its really, really good. much better than I could do. Granted, Jimmy draws every time he gets a chance, it's almost all he does. But still this seems to be beyond what an 8 year old could do. Are we strange? Is this possible? I've been questioning my diagnosis lately. Susan says I'm just going back into denial but, this doesn't help. I don't see how a kid could do something at that high a skill level. Thanks for any input.
Geoff

I have 330 full alters and none are older than 18. Every single one of them can read at the level that I do. You have shared parts of the brain. Child alters talk and act like children yet, but they have access to the adult parts of the brain as well and being limited to the child like state that they are.

I completely agree with Tylas. It's not MPD, it's DID. You're still one person, but dissociated. So I don't see why a child part cannot have adult abilities.

They definitely can. Sometimes just because they've had lots of practice, sometimes because it's just something they're "gifted" with (from nature) that not everyone has tapped into, and sometimes because - as Tylas said - there's a reasonable amount of shared knowledge and he has found a way to tap into that.

For instance; L is 9 years old and none of us in the system, except her, is good at crafts like knitting or sewing or crocheting etc. Our SO sat down with her to teach her to crochet because they both like creative things. Within minutes she was further along in the crocheting work than my SO and that was that. We have never been taught this, she said herself she had never done it or been taught it before. At a 9 year old level - it should have taken time to explain, time to adapt her fingers and fine motor skills (especially since we have problems with our hands due to trauma) and time to .. well, get a hang of what she was doing. This doesn't mean she's not 9 - it just means she's good at it.

Jimmy draws a lot and if he's good at it and it makes him happy, that's really all that matters in the end You have DID Geoff, we see it here everyday (and my littles talk about both you and Jimmy often, asking him you're doing - I'm not exactly sure why they've taken such a shine to you (except that you're both obviously nice) but they have ) and we will support you both through the times you believe and through the denial

All of our best

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for taking the time to reply. Even after years I'm still trying to wrap my head around DID. Sometimes I just wish it would all go away. I think I need to learn to be more thankful for having it, for my parts who have gotten me through such hard times.

And lifelongthing, please tell your littles that the feeling is mutual. Jimmy talks about them a lot. And I personally value all your posts and replies.

Geoff

Even after years I'm still trying to wrap my head around DID. I think I need to learn to be more thankful for having it, for my parts who have gotten me through such hard times.

It takes time. Sometimes all I can do, honestly, is sit down and cry and say "why won't this all just go away? How am I supposed to make a future with this? I just want it all to stop for a minute". But most of the time I'm thankful for the family we have become. The more communication we have, the easier it is to be thankful. But yes, sometimes it's hard, and that's okay too.

And lifelongthing, please tell your littles that the feeling is mutual. Jimmy talks about them a lot. And I personally value all your posts and replies.

Thank you Geoff, I'm happy to hear that and I value yours as well - you have a very obvious kindness about you If you ever want to talk, feel free to PM (that goes for Jimmy or the others too ).

Little Tara amazas me all the time with her skill levels in some areas the child canpaint the most beautiful landscapes and it doesnt matter if she is drawing in penci, or what paint she uses its just amazing to me none of the rest of us can do it at all. She can also play the piano clarinet, saxophone, oboe where no one else can. Even though she is little she can take almost any computer program and operate it like a pro now the adults do have computer knowledge thats how we make our living lol so that one doesnt surprise me.

we no longer have a piano bit I am told that she can sit there and just start playing and create a song although she can read music she prefers to just let her fingers do the talking and its good and at times haunting from what I have been told. I wish we did still have a piano or keyboard for her all of our alters love music and they use it express themselves.

Tara (BT)

Amber keeps amazing me with what she knows about the human body. In my time as a teacher (lasted 6 months) I've met some children of her age and some knew a lot about things they were interesed in, but Amber has knowledge at a level close to a 16-year old who is interested in that, not an 8-year old. She also knows a lot about our system and she can explain it very well if she has to.

I think it partly has to do with her autistic sides, like her perfectionism and her fixed interests. She also has the understanding of a language she cant speak, so I think she somehow can use the skills of other alters to process incoming information, but she can't use them herself if she wants to bring information outward.