Top 10 Most Precocious Children

I love my kids. I think they’re great. They can do some stuff, like counting to 20 and waving bye-bye. But that’s nothing compared to some kids – there are children out there who can recite the Qur’an, or win Olympic medals when they’re still in high school. This kind of success doesn’t come easily, and behind every outstanding child, there tends to be a pushy parent. And in front of every outstanding child there tends to be a difficult adulthood. So, who can blame those pushy parents for shoving their children into the spotlight before they turn into rebellious adults? Find out which tots and teens are currently enjoying their moment in the sun in our Top 10 Most Precocious Children.

10. Suri Cruise

Let’s start with the most high-profile 7-year-old in the fashion world. Born to Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, she was famous at first for never being seen in public, so protective was Cruise over the baby. How things have changed – not only is Suri regularly snapped in public, in a number of on-trend outfits, but she is now launching her own fashion range. At the age of 7, yes.
It’s not impossible that the fashion range is a result of her famous parentage, rather than her childrenswear expertise, but it’s said that she has a good eye for design and has been sketching out ideas. There may also be a stylist involved in the project somewhere. But, at an age where most girls are still traipsing around in their mother’s high heels, Suri is making money from fashion. Remarkable, hey?

9. Guan Tianlang

A youth now that’s achieved fame through skill rather than parentage, Guan Tianlang is a 14-year-old golf prodigy who has been accused of hurting professional golf by exposing just how much of the game relies on modern equipment rather than hard work. But there’s no denying that he has talent and he is the youngest person to ever qualify for the Masters Tournament. He has even impressed Tiger Woods, who said “It’s frightening to think that he was born after I won my first Masters” but also praised the youngster’s golfing prowess. One to watch for the future…

8. Blue Ivy Carter

It’s not every toddler that has her own throne. But this is no ordinary toddler. She is Blue Ivy Carter, daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z and she is a diva in waiting. Hence the personalized throne (above) in her mother’s dressing room. As yet, she hasn’t been given her own fashion line, a la Suri but surely it’s only a matter of time. One product area she may want to steer clear of is hairdressing, as a shot of her curly baby hair provoked a tirade of scorn from strangers on the internet, saying things such as “Blue Ivy looks like she just got thrown out of the club”. When baby bad hair days go viral, you know that baby has an exciting future ahead…

7. Stephan Wolski

Blue Ivy may be the world’s glitziest toddler, but not all children are destined for showbusiness. Some of the talented youngsters out there are studying hard to become the geeks of the next generation. And by “geeks”, I mean they’ll probably be making their fortunes out of tech start-ups. Exhibit A: Stephan Wolski, who has just graduated the College of Southern Maryland with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science and Technology at the age of 15. Next, he’ll be doing his Bachelor’s degree and then after that…world domination. Probably.

6. Lourdes Leon

Another celebrity offspring that looks to follow in her famous mother’s footsteps, Madonna’s daughter Lourdes is currently studying at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art & Performing arts. The school has an impressive list of alumni, including Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Michelle Gellar and it seems that the 16-year-old can’t resist the lure of performing.
But in many other ways, Lourdes is rebelling. She was caught smoking by Madonna, who apparently has a zero-tolerance on cigarettes and has dyed green streaks into her hair. She’s also dating an actor, 17-year-old fellow student Timothée Chalamet and, in typical teenage girl style, has been seen reading Sylvia Plath. Not that Madonna can really complain about any rebelliousness, given her parent-shocking antics in the 1980s. Still, seems like Lourdes won’t be fading into obscurity any time soon.

5. Katie Ledecky

The world of Olympic sport is notoriously competitive, and it’s essential to start as early as possible. But few expect to win Olympic gold while still in their teens. In fact, Katie Ledecky seemed as surprised as anyone when she won the 800-meter freestyle swim, with the second fastest time ever. She started swimming at the tender age of six, just nine years before the 2012 Olympic event where she won her gold, and her whole career took off very quickly. She recently spoke about her success to swim hopefuls at an event at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center. Just a year earlier, at a similar event she had been one of those hopefuls. Who knows where she’ll be in a few more years?

4. Tanishq Mathew Abraham

Another child genius, who was accepted into Mensa at the age of four and a half. Two years later, he was writing science essays for the NASA website and applying for American River College, which he started at the age of seven. He completed courses in Astronomy and Geology, coming top of his class in both and now at nine says “I like particle physics, anti-matter, the fate of the universe and the Big Bang.”
Safe to say he’s not your average 9-year-old. He is also interested in music, performing with the San Francisco Boys Chorus as well as the child-prodigy staple of chess. He also struggles to fit in with his peers, saying “I’m not very good because kids and people are kind of rude to me”. Because of that, he is partly home-schooled by his parents who are a software engineer and a doctor of veterinary medicine and insist that they are not pushing him. His mother says “People think we want all these things, but it’s his passion. This is what he loves.” A child genius who doesn’t have pushy parents? Stranger things have happened…

3. Willow Smith

Will Smith’s son Jaden has recently starred with his Dad in sci-fi blockbuster “After Earth” but it’s his daughter Willow who has the real star quality. Inheriting the musical talent from her Dad (of “Wickey-wickey-wild-wild-west” fame), Willow had a hit single with “Whip My Hair” in 2010, which reached no 11 in America and no 2 in Britain, but she has also made an appearance in “I Am Legend”, not-so-co-incidentally starring Will Smith. At the age of 12, she’s already performed at the White House, although the failure of later singles meant that she’s stepped away from the limelight. But she has diva potential and it’s very likely that Willow Smith will be back soon.

2. Romeo Beckham

A friend of Suri Cruise’s and only of the only celebrity children to challenge her for famous parentage, Romeo is the second child of soccer player David Beckham and Spice Girl Victoria Beckham. His entire life has been in the spotlight, so it’s little wonder that no only is he used to it, but he also seems to enjoy it and has started a career modelling for Burberry. According to Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey, Romeo has “impeccable taste” and loves fashion, just as both his parents do. Victoria Beckham has her own clothing line, and David Beckham is well known for his unusual fashion choices, most notably a sarong. Somehow, David Beckham still manages to make it onto the “best dressed” lists, and Romeo is following him by appearing at no 26 in GQ’s 2011 list of Britain’s best dressed men.
A best dressed man at only 8? A modelling career at 10? The rest of his life has a lot to live up to…

1. Alana Thompson

The name may not mean much to you, but Alana is better known as “Honey Boo Boo” – beauty queen, breakout star of “Toddlers and Tiaras” and focus of her own show “Here comes Honey Boo Boo“. The shows looks at Alana’s self-confessed redneck family as they fart endlessly, eat cheeseballs off the floor and attend the “Redneck Olympics” featuring delightful sports such as bobbing for pigs’ feet. Highlights of the show include mother June describing a woman’s intimate parts as a “biscuit” and the family acquiring a gay pig as a pet.
And at the center of it all is 7-year-old Alana – she’s a little rounder than some beauty queens, and not the most successful but she certainly has a distinctive personality. She also says some strange things at times – no wonder, given that she chugs “go go juice” (a mix of Mountain Dew and Red Bull) before shows. In some countries, that would be child abuse. Here’s it’s entertainment. The Honey Boo Boo bubble will burst some day, but until then she’s a rightful winner of our Number One Most Precocious Child Award.