Hmm...
I agree with the poster who pointed out that saying "Gifted babies are more alert" is the same as saying "Normally developing children are less alert."

You can't be "more alert" without someone being "less alert".

It is kind of like the debates I've been a part of where people agree that... "Breastfeeding may lower the risk of certain diseases."

But they get very angry when you say "The absence of breastfeeding (and in the case of all the studies, that means the presence formula feeding) may increase the risk of certain diseases."

They don't want to hear or agree with the fact that, stated another way, breastfeeding is technically the normal way mammals feed their young and that anything deviating from that could, potentially, result in a higher risk for certain things (in this case, diseases or infections because the child doesn't get the benefit of mom's antibodies.)

They get upset about making formula feeding moms feel bad when that has nothing to do with it.

I strongly dislike arguments that revolve around how to say things "politely" or in a politically correct way. It really irks me.

But if we are going that way... I suppose zombie or "glazed look" might be a little strong, but sleepy isn't.

And it would make me pretty mad if someone called my baby ugly... but when my daughter was small I had several people (once, women I didn't even know taking a walk by our home), tell me that my baby was pretty and that they were "sorry", but some babies are kind of ugly. It's like they wanted to confess that to me because they thought my baby didn't fit the profile and I would be flattered or agree with them.

I've heard lots of normal, usually nice people confess that they think some babies are "ugly". It isn't very nice and you should not tell someone that you think that about their baby. But in the right context, praising one baby for being beautiful and not the other is technically calling the other less good looking, if not actually ugly. People just don't normally admit it out loud!

Saying a bright child has a bright, alert look about them is also comparing that child to the children around him and it very obviously suggests that the children around him don't look so bright.

Last edited by islandofapples; 02/18/12 03:44 PM.