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We sometimes forget just how smart, creative, brave, and witty we used to be when we were kids. So it comes as a surprise for some parents when their children do or say something absolutely brilliant. Like getting their parents out of speeding tickets or using the scientific method to figure out that the Tooth Fairy isn’t real (I’m pretty sure that she’s actually real, but it’s still impressive that someone would go to such great lengths to try and disprove her existence).

There’s a subreddit out there that documents the moments that kids went above and beyond and really flexed their brainpower. Now, we can’t actually mention the full name of the subreddit (thank you, Internet and Social Media Police), so let’s use a slightly abbreviated version, shall we? ‘Kids Are Smart’ is an online community of 51.6k members and has been active since late June of 2018.

They’re all about showing off the times that kids “demonstrate impressively intelligent behavior” and we’ve collected some of their very best posts. You’re bound to enjoy this, especially if you have any kids or young siblings yourselves, Pandas. Remember to upvote your fave post and, if you feel like sharing, drop on by the comment section with your own ‘smart kid’ stories.

I reached out to the moderator team managing the subreddit and they were kind enough to answer my questions. The founder of the community told me that the entire idea to start the subreddit came about from a post about “a simple kid, exhibiting clever behavior for their age” that was originally posted on the ‘Kids Are Stupid’ (again, a slightly paraphrased title) online group. “It doesn’t really belong there and I figured we needed a new sub that fit it better,” they told Bored Panda.

I also got in touch with single mom, comedy writer, and pop star in waiting Ariane Sherine from the UK, who plans to release her debut pop album, BITTER, later in 2022. She features her daughter in a lot of her witty and relatable social media posts and they’re very popular.

“My daughter loves starring in my social media posts. She actually asks me to tweet about her! When she does something cool or impressive like skateboarding or graffiti writing, she asks, ‘Can you put it on Twitter?!’ Then she loves to read the comments. I guess some kids are more shy and retiring, but I like the fact that mine is confident and happy to show the world her talents,” she said. Scroll down for Bored Panda’s full interviews with the founder of ‘Kids Are Smart’ and with Ariane.

#1 My Aunt Just Shared Her Son’s Assignment With Me

Image credits: Hi_I_am_Chad

#2 Creative 4 Year Old

Image credits: AlixEHarrow

#3 Thanks, I Hate Lightsabers With Shadows

Image credits: polinadius

The founder of ‘Kids Are Smart’ shared their thoughts about how to balance strict and fun parenting styles. “I love my video games and loved them as a kid. With that said, a young child won’t know what that or TV is if you don’t introduce it to them early,” they told Bored Panda.

“I don’t think parents need to put so much thought into creating an environment for their children to learn but rather just remove distractions (like screens). Young children will explore whatever pulls their attention. Instead of using your phone or watching TV around your child, try puzzles, build with blocks or read books around your child, even if they aren’t aimed at kids. This makes that child want to copy the parent and focus their attention on those activities, rather than Baby Shark 100 times a day,” the mod pointed out that parents have the ability to encourage their children to develop their imaginations.

#4 I Would Never Have Thought Of That

Image credits: mrproffesor07

#5 The Cop Let Them Go

Image credits: BunAndLeggings

#6 Well, That Was Unexpected

Image credits: bliebbloepiamnotabot

“It’s easier than ever to be distracted by useless information. Parents need to remove distractions from babies at an early age so they can explore things that help them develop their knowledge. Don’t let YouTube Kids or mobile games raise your child,” they added.

Meanwhile, comedy writer and future pop star Ariane pondered how much kids take after their parents when it comes to creativity, sense of humor, and wit.

“Both I and my daughter’s dad work in the media, and from an early age, she’s wanted to be a pop star, writer, and actor. I don’t know how much of her creativity was influenced by seeing her dad’s writing in the newspaper and seeing me go out late to perform at musical comedy gigs. She definitely has creative talents, but how much of that is nature or nurture I don’t know. As for sense of humor, she’s far more sassy and sarcastic than me, so I think her sharp wit is all her own!” she said.

#7 Thinking Outside The Box

Image credits: RogueDadMD

#8 Bonus For Creativity

Image credits: moneymountain13

#9 Because College Has Failed You

Image credits: GracieGrayC

Ariane revealed to Bored Panda that she herself had “very strict parents,” and as a result, she has become extremely liberal.

“I think being liberal encourages creativity as it gives kids the confidence to express themselves fully, and my daughter is usually very sweet-natured and well-behaved. She’s also a lot of fun, while I didn’t dare to be fun in such a strict environment when I was a kid, so I’m really pleased that I’m giving her a happier and freer upbringing.”

#10 Genius Boy Who Went Viral At 11yo For Helping College Students With Organic Chemistry Is Now A Researcher At 13

Image credits: protector_of_tea

#11 An 11-Year-Old Boy Has Been Hailed A Hero After He Saved The Life Of His Grandfather Following A Car Crash. He Has Credited ‘Grand Theft Auto’ With His Driving Skills As He Took Over The Wheel After His Grandfather Collapsed

Image credits: makdorsen

#12 No Hitting Doggo

Image credits: trin134340

The ‘Kids Are Smart’ subreddit’s moderators stress the fact that “cute doesn’t equal smart!” In other words, redditors should avoid posts where children are just being children, without any moments of actual brilliance.

“Kids are cute, but that’s not what this subreddit is for. Don’t make posts showing kids doing regular stuff or having a hobby if it doesn’t show a real sign of intelligence. A kid with a vlog channel, drawing with crayons, arguing a silly point, or whatever else it might be is not necessarily a sign of exceptional intelligence. The post will be removed if a kid being smart is not the focus,” the mods warn.

#13 Genius

Image credits: jdm1tch

#14 Way To Look Out For Your Neighbor, Kid!

Image credits: adambedders

#15 What A God

Image credits: massi_yeet

However, the online community is not just about celebrating book smarts. Posts about “immense creative talent’ are also allowed. “Although this is a sub to see kids being smart, certain creative talents require intelligence, even if the focus of the performance, artwork, etc doesn’t show intelligence in the traditional 2+2=4 sense,” the subreddit’s moderators explain.

“A kid understanding proper perspective and color use in a painting requires intelligence. A kid having mastered the art of acting requires a certain social intelligence.”

One of the rules that genuinely made me laugh with how it was phrased is the “Do NOT spam your child” regulation. The mods state: “1 post per child per month, maximum. This isn’t Facebook. Your kid might be Einstein, but that doesn’t mean you get to fill this sub with posts of your child. Post once, that’s it. If your post gets removed, it was likely deemed not suitable for the sub. In this case, you may post again immediately if you have another example of 200 IQ.”

#16 This Never Actually Occurred To Me To Do This As A Child

Image credits: reddit.com

#17 My Nephew Showed Me His Quiz In Class. Can’t Disagree On This One

Image credits: J2Robot

#18 Thought This Belonged Here

Image credits: PhilNobileJr

A while back, child independence expert Lenore Skenazy, the founder of Let Grow non-profit organization and the Free-Range Kids movement, told me that it’s “impossible” to figure out the right balance between being too strict and too lenient.

“One thing many parents are choosing today is to keep their kids under constant surveillance, with the help of tech. Whether it’s being able to track their kids’ movements, read their browsing history, or even scan their texts, parents have all sorts of new tools to make them seemingly omniscient,” Lenore told Bored Panda that parents should ease up on surveillance and respect their kids’ privacy.

#19 Salute To This Young Ghost Hunter Who Hunts Ghosts Before Grade 1

Image credits: a_bruneian

#20 Kiley’s Worm

Image credits: Alhimli07

#21 This Kid Is Going Place

Image credits: kishna2615

“For the same reason you didn’t want your parents to read your diary, or to build a treehouse on the branch right next to YOUR treehouse, children need some space to grow into their own person. Kids need to know they are loved, but they also need to know they are trusted. They can’t prove that if parents never actually let them do some things literally on their own, without constant surveillance.”