WUWY INTERVIEW: Duane On Baby Dev’s Miracle Journey, Mastering Pi, America's Got Talent Experience, + More

What's up.

It's way up with Angela yee. And this is exciting something we haven't done yet. We have a genius here with us. Devin is here, Hey, Devin.

Yay hie, and you're here and hi Devon, and you're here with your father Dwayne, right yeah, okay.

And I just want to say a happy belated birthday to you because you are now three years old, right, thank you so.

Devin from two years old. We've been seeing you on TV.

We saw you on America's Got Talent, and we saw how the judges were just so impressed by how smart you are.

You are what we call a genius. And you love math, right.

Yeah, And I will say this what I've noticed in Dwayne. I'm sure you can agree a lot of people nowadays, like math is just so different. I remember growing up and having to do like long division and having it and now it's like we have calculate.

In our phones.

I did the real estate exam. You don't have to figure out the math. They're like bringing a calculator and do it that way. It feels like something that isn't as focused on as it should be, you know.

Right with technology now, you know we don't need We don't need to use our brains, you know, don't need to know how to spell.

Exactly, even with GPS.

You know, back in the day, we used to know how to get to places just from memory our math exactly.

Now we're like, oh, we need the GPS to follow it.

So yeah, definitely technology is kind of dumbing us down a little bit. So it's refreshing to know that, you know, we can still teach up our kids and educate them and a lot of stuff and math is one of them.

What's been your experience as far as math.

I'm with most of America and I really was never really good at it, you know, just got by my parents. You know, they were great parents, but they never really taught us from an early age, you know, like I'm doing with Devin. So I think that's very important and to start from a very early age, to instill that love for math in them very early.

And it has to be really exciting to have a child who is like this prodigy and something that you saw early on. So I want to talk about that because I know there are parents out there who are listening right now and they're like, I want my kid to be a genius. That's what everybody wants, right, everybody wants their kid to be a genius. But how can you cultivate that and how can you help actually amplify when you see your child is doing something that's incredible.

Can you talk about that?

Yeah, So from day one, like we wanted to create a baby genius. We didn't know he would be this good in math or we didn't know a genius and what but just happened to be math. My wife had me and my wife had been to multiple miscarriages, she has two five miscarriages, two iuis, and we were actually scheduled for a IVF, and two months before the IVF was scheduled, we conceived Devin the natural way. So you know,

And even when he was in the belly, y'all were like playing music and doing certain things.

Yeah, from from the second trimester when babies are able to start hearing. We started to read to him while he was still in the womb, and we started to play classical music through belly headphones every night while he was in the womb. And consistency, patience, and praise is something that you know, is very important in that journey.

And I heard Devin's first word was seven.

Even before Mama or data. You know, he was a little delayed in his speech, but even before Mama and.

Dada, his first world was seven. A little shocked that.

I wonder why that number in particular. And you know seven is a significant number, yes, yes, of this, you.

Know, he just he was just drawn to numbers and seven, you know, I mean, it's it's a it's a godly number. So you know, we we take everything as a sign, so you know, we feel that means something as well.

When he was born, did you, I know, everybody feels like they're kids, and everybody's kids are special, but did you feel like there was anything different like for you, were there any signs or any type of feeling that you had.

We we deep down we felt that he was going to be something special. Just like I said before, he was a miracle baby. But you know, it was up to us to nurture that gift and to to go deep into to stick with him and be consistent and teaching him. So it was it was not until four months old where we realized his love for numbers. When he was when we was exposing him to learning shows from numbers, letters, shapes, and colors. And then when it was when we changed the channel from the number shows,

Those kids are like the reverse.

Yeah, that was like, okay, that was the first time.

Yeah you were crying. Yeah, you're crying, Devin. What's your favorite television show?

Line?

Anything with numbers? Anything with numbers? All right?

And you know it is controversial for some people because some people don't want their kids watching TV, even if it's educational things or on the tablets, like let's get them off of these devices.

But you look at things a little bit differently.

Yeah, I just went with the flow, like everybody's different.

But I feel that TV played a big role in educating him, not sitting him down in front of the TV for hours. You know, it has to be a limit on it, but approximately, I say, thirty minutes.

At a time. It was good, you know.

And but with the phones and the tablets, that's where we draw the line with that because that can be more addicting. So you give them a tablet or phone, they have control, so they're swiping and they're just doing all so they have all these addictive aspects to it. So TV, you just have it. You don't give them a remote control. You control it. So I feel that TV is fine.

Can I take them to the casino to play black jack and see if you can count the cars we could win? We win some money, all right, So I want to get some So let's let's look at some proof of concept. I mean, I've seen you already on the Jennifer Hudson Show with Kelly Clarkson America's Got Talent, But now you're here on way up, so I want to see some of this genius?

Is that?

Okay, Devin? Yeah, okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna play along too. I'm embarrassed already.

But nine.

Squared plus.

Okay, nine squared plus nine, Okay.

It's eighty one for nine.

Oh woe.

One nine.

He left the show.

Look at that. You're doing great. He's got better hair writing than me.

You're carrying one and then the.

Right of pour.

One.

He's like a beautiful mind. Yay, oh you did a check mark?

Yeah, I love that, and look so already like nine square. The fact that he knows nine squared is eighty one is already impressive.

Did you know that?

Damn sir?

He said no, I did not know that. If not what it luck?

What what happened?

It's not work.

Now its a good job.

And I also saw.

That he knows the digits of pie. I just know pie is three point one four.

And so do I again. But yeah, no, he knows three hundred and fifty three hundred and thirty two digits of pie right now.

I didn't even know there were three hundred and thirty.

Two infinity numbers. So he just goes on and on. He's trying to get to a thousand right now. So that's his mission.

How much are you learning when it comes to this, because clearly, if your son, if Devin is so great at math, then there's things that you have to learn too. Because one thing I have to say, it's really hard to teach kids like we forget so much from when we were coming up in the school system. So now this is something that's on you where you're like, I have to make sure I know what's going on.

Yes, I just taught them fractions, and I had to go on YouTube kind of, you know, learn it all over again for like a couple days before I presented it to him. So definitely I'm learning right along with them.

So Devin, you know fractions too, you.

Know fractions one for one.

That's right, he does no fractions.

Because I was watching some of his videos and I was like, okay, and one thing pemdas I remember that E M D A S.

And I was like, I haven't utilized any of this. Yes, thank you? What is it? And that stands for?

You know what that stands for? Please? Please excuse? What's m my dear, my dear? Sorry?

Now how is it?

Because I don't know if everything is always right, but there has to be times when it's like, okay, human error.

How does Devon handle that?

He's a two year old kid, so, but he's gonna three. Look at that. I'm always forget, you know, he's three years old and he's he's a he's a regular taler.

So you know, the times he gets frustrated, you know he does, but he handled it, handle it well.

And when he doesn't, you know, you.

Just have to kind of just teach him to let him know it's going to be okay, and just like, uh, you know, let him know. There's going to be times when he gets it wrong. And you know, but that's what age is a tyler. And when he gets older, he'll he'll really understand like I'm old, it's okay.

You are older. Now he's already three. That's amazing.

And now I also wanted to ask, what do you foresee him doing? Like if you had to say to yourself, all right, he's already.

This young genius. He's doing things dead kids.

Who are you know in sixth seventh, eighth grade is something that they're on that level?

Yeah, let's get him do some more math. What do you foresee him doing?

He really loves pie, so I think that he's gonna be doing something with like a NASA. He's going to be like an astronaut or something because with the with the planets in perfect circles, like that's kind of like their thing.

So I can see him being being an astronaut.

But he likes, uh, he likes when I ask him what he wants to be one of the girl he says, a doctor.

So okay, hey, let's do some numbers.

All right.

Let me see I feel like I want to do I can't do that.

I can't go past three point one four.

So much, so much angela three hundred digits.

Oh my gosh, he's gonna be there. That's a way to keep somebody.

Five nine, five, five, eight nine seven.

Let me checking out?

Oh does she interrupt your process? Five eight nine? What comes? Now?

You can start over.

He's being sick.

He's like, start over with mm hmm.

What's next?

Okay three point one four one five nine two six five three, five eight nine.

This is right, I want to say.

I look at the nine three okay, like three okay, we got it.

Three okay, two three?

What's next?

Seven nine three two? So far so good? Oh my gosh, No, he's on a row.

Oh my god, he's high.

This is amazing.

Yeah. So kids are born.

Babies are born with a hundred billion neurons, so it's very important from the age of one to three to really hone in and feed them as much as you can during this time educate them as much as you can so because their brain, their brains are truly like sponges, so from one to three is the fastest development in the brain.

So I know this has to be fascinating even to doctors, right, what do they say about Devin, Like, are they like this is unusual that?

Like how you know?

I just want to know because I'm sure when this was happening, was it a little like strange to you? I just want to know what your thoughts were as a hearing.

Like I was kind of like in the beginning, I was like very shocked, and then it kind I kind of got used to it kind of. But when when other people will see it, they'd be like, oh my gosh, like they act like it's something so crazy, and I'm like, oh, yeah it is. But even with his doctor when he was doing like one plus one when he was like fifteen months old, he was like, this is crazy, this

So is he in school?

No?

Okay, so he's not even in school.

Yet and there's no way he's going to start off, and like, how does that work too? Because I know there's that whole like, okay, I want them to be around kids their age, but then there's also well as far as what he can do academically, he's advanced past that. So right, as a parent, what are your thoughts about that?

I definitely want him to get the social you know, the social aspect of being a tolerant and getting along with other kids and learning that. So I don't mind preschool, but definitely, like you know, when he hits that kindergarten first grade mark, we're going to just continue to homeschool.

Okay, yeah, so this has been homeschool.

Oh yeah, this is we've this has been from the very beginning. So everything has been me and my wife just been you know, honing in and uh, every day, being consistent. So I always say consistency, patience, and praise is key in anything. That's why I feel that any parent can do this all they need to do.

You think any parent can do this?

Any parent?

I want I want to scream that from the from the rooftops, that any parent can do it.

Because I feel like maybe your child was born with a gift or something special.

I feel like every child is more.

I know every kid is special, but I'm just saying there's different gifts and so there might be something with him where he has a certain gift while another child might have a different type of gifts.

That's right.

I like not saying every child can be a math gene. But you know, every child has the whe whether it be a violinist, whether it be you know, a pianist or you know good and just reading and literature, you know.

So, but yeah, every child has has a special gift in it.

It's just up to us to kind of the parents that just started from the start from scrap and just expose them to everything and just see where what they excel at and what they love. So, you know, with Devin lucky thing at four months old, he showed us, hey, this is numbers. So we just kept going on exposing him more and more to numbers, which you love, dev.

What comes after? What comes after a six?

Five? He's taking a break, he's looking at the flowers. Now he also knows Spanish.

Yes he knows.

He's not feeling numbers.

His numbers in Spanish too. Are you going to teach him other languages.

Now's the time to do it, and I want to.

I definitely want to teach a man schedule, so I definitely want to teach him Mandarin.

And you know now, yeah, I was going to say that would be beneficial for him too. And even knowing how to do the you know, how to do the characters might be nice.

Oh yeah in Chinese like it.

I'll be crazy.

Yeah, to see him. Maybe he'll be doing some calligraphy.

I might have to call somebody else in for that to do that on my pay grade. I don't know.

Now.

Another thing you guys have is an ebook, and this is because you want to also help other parents to be able to learn how to educate their kids in a way that you've managed to do this with Devin, And like you said, anybody can do this if you take the time and you have the consistency. So tell us about the e book. It's an ebook now, but it's going to also be a physical book right, yes.

Devin loves numbers dot com. You can purchase that the e book right away. You'll get it right away.

The physical hard copy.

You can order that too, yes, Devin last Numbers dot Com.

Thank you the hard copy that will be out real shortly as well.

But Devin doesn't only love numbers. He loves to read.

We read to him every night. He usually we usually read him two stories. He usually likes to bring a number book in like an adventure book. So that's kind of like why we created his book. Devin loves Numbers The Adventures of a Math Genius where it operates like adventure into it and then it also has numbers and equations, simple equations where kids can be on an adventure, read about beat going on an adventure.

What's the matter, Papa?

Well, okay, numbers, but he's still three.

He's a genius, but he's still three.

So you get to incorporate both for being a being an adventure and solving math problems at the same time, and.

Learning about what when was your When was Devin's birthday?

September thirtieth?

Okay, so you're what is That's not a libra? Is it it is?

Oh?

Yeah, you're a Libra's your birthday?

You want some water?

I got it?

I got it?

Okay, which one? Show me and Bill erase it.

He is not playing about these numbers.

He's like, I'll put the where he messed like, yeah, he can correct it. I'm sorry, but like three hundred and twenty two numbers is a lot to write in a row and get them right every single time. But then to even know when you did one wrong is look at him and I just want to let y'all know I did go being the person that I am as Naker Lee check and this is all correct the number say he's writing on the board right now.

Devin, that's amazing. What do you think about what.

Some people are big fans of talking to their their kids like their adults or you know, sometimes people do the baby talk. I want to know what you think about that, because sometimes people talk to their kids like in baby talk, and sometimes it's like, no, I'm going to talk to my child like he's an adult and treat him that way, and that's going.

To help me when they're very young talking to him like a baby kind of they call it parentees and you know it just like when you talk to them that way, it kind of heightens want you want to race it. Yeah, it kind of emphasizes, emphasizes the the pronunciation of the words so they kind of understand it better. So talking to them like baby talk is kind of beneficial when they're young, but when they get older, when I say older, when they get kind of.

Like two years old, then you.

Know, talking to them, talking to them and baby talk isn't really beneficial.

Yeah, so how do you how many parents have hit you up about everything that you guys have been doing, and were you apprehensive about actually putting Devin out there and putting yourself out there too, because that is a scary world we live in, So I can understand feeling like, oh, you know, putting my kid on and I'm putting myself out there, but I'm sure it's helped a lot of people at the same time.

So what was the thought and reasoning behind that.

That's the thing, Like, we really didn't expect too much, you know, too much fan fear or too much you know, expectations from putting him on on social media. But we've seen all the love and everything we got from from everybody, so we wasn't really expecting that. But we when we were see that and everybody was like kind of like asking how do we do it?

Then I was like, well, you know, maybe this is a way.

To help people out and to really show them because I'm a retired police office. I'm not a mathema mathematician, he will, okay. And my wife is a nurse, you know, so we really don't have a crazy background in education or anything like that.

So that's why I really feel like anybody can do this.

And and I could see that, you know, he's an inspiration to a lot of you know, parents and kids. So seeing that, it's just kind of like, you know, what he's gotten put him here for a reason. So let's let's just go all out with this and just you know, motivate and inspire as many people as we can and help them out at the same time.

What was Devin's first appearance?

His first appearance was the Jennifer Hudson, not Jennifer Hudson. I'm sorry, Kelly Clarkson. Yeah, that was through that was through Zoom. We were on the show. And after that came on America's Got Talent.

How was he doing in So I saw when he did America's God Talent, and I saw also when he's on a roll, you can't interrupt him.

So I'm trying to keep it quiet over here.

Yeah, how we learned the hard way, But how is it.

For him because you know that's that's also scary, going in front of a huge audience like that. So talk to me about that day when he did America's God Talent. There's a big audience and there's you know, a panel of judges who, by the way, all loved him and unanimously thought that, you know, he should advance.

But what was that day like, Yeah, we were.

I was a little nervous for him. I didn't know how, you know, he's an unpredictable tale. I didn't know if he was going to just run off the stage and just you know, jump out into the crowd.

Or what you know.

But he he loved it. He loved He loves praise, you know. And that's one thing that we do all the time with him. When he gets something right and when you know, his little accomplishments, we make sure that we build them up and it gives him the confidence. So you know, when he was out there and you know, he's seen the crowd clapping for him, he just loved it, jumping all over the place.

So you know, that was that was nice to see.

And what about endorsements. Have a lot of people been hitting you eyes up to say, oh, we been love for him to represent this, like you know, Scholastic brand or whatever. It is not yet, but hopefully I think that's coming, and I think that would make perfect sense. Yeah, he could have his own line of products. And it feels like you guys are on the right track on

Did you do it? Did you do it? You got it? How much? Is that not fifty three.

Fifty, three hundred and fifty numbers of three point one? But you counted it?

Okay, that's a new record.

Then if it's three fifty because he's he's just new three thirty?

Is that really three hundred and fifty numbers? I got to take a picture of this because.

I can't believe he was sitting here, this whole interview writing out three hundred and fifty numbers of pie.

Y'all got a step? Your title is games up?

No, I'm kidding.

This is amazing.

Well, thank you so much for taking the time and for and for bringing Devon up here. Devin loves number what's the website, Devin, what's your website?

Bloombers dot com, dot.

Waks, devinloves numbers dot com.

Good job, Devin, Good job, Devin. That was amazing.

I think you said a new record up here today, and we're so happy to have you on the show and have you be part of this. I thought I was going to do some math, but I'm glad I didn't have to. I'm very grateful and blessed. So y'all again, how can people reach you and if they want to like talk to you about anything, because I feel like this is just the beginning morning.

Come yeah.

We try to respond to everybody to Instagram, Devon loves numbers all one word, d e v a N TikTok same thing, d e v a N loves numbers and the website is www dot dev loves numbers dot com.

All right, well, we love a beautiful story like this, so thank you for coming through. Thank you, Devin, Thank.

You for having us say thank you, miss Ye, thank you, miss E.

We have to use that as a drop. Okay, all right, thank you, way up