Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion You know you're raising a child with OEs when...

... DS4 very generously gives DS6 one of the stuffies he received as a birthday present and DS6 bursts into tears and is inconsolable that his younger brother is having to give up one of his birthday presents.

Never thought I'd have to console my child because his brother gave him a present. Seriously.

DS2 gets so excited when he does something on his own or figures something out that he scampers over and snake bites my arm and clenches his jaw all while running in place and squealing. It sounds mean, but he's SOOO happy he doesn't know how to contain it...we're working on it. Physical OE, much?!

DD11 has always had an incredible appreciation for aesthetics. Even as a little one she would stare enraptured by a beautiful flower or sunset or painting. She listens closely to the words of songs and takes the messages - which most people probably barely notice - very much to heart.

She belongs to a fairly prestigious choral group that performs a lot. In addition to typical concerts they regularly perform at homeless shelters, hospitals, assisted living centers, etc. They even just do pop up performances on the city streets a few times a year. The idea is to bring as much music - and as much joy - to as many people as they can. Right up her alley. At her first concert with them the adults in the group sang "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas. They were performing at an assisted living center at the time and DH and I joked about the propriety of singing that particular song to a room full of elderly people, many of whom were in failing health. As we chuckled DD ran by us sobbing. The words were just SO sad... She ran out again 6 months later when family members in the group sang "I'll Be Seeing You" in honor of their recently deceased grandfather. She just felt so awful for them...

Fortunately the director gets it and told DD "that's why you are such a good performer - you are sensitive and you get the deeper meaning." She may feel sad hearing about someone's grandfather dying but set it to music and she crumbles into an emotional mess.

We have a mouse or mice visiting. I set out snap traps. DS11T1 "accidentally" set off the traps. DS11T1 took his savings to buy a glass tank, because the mouse isn't just cute, he's adorable! We need to save the mouse family and keep them as pets. I also have found suspicious tasty nibbles on the floor. Perhaps this is DS11T1s way of making me cave and get a cat?

DS11T1 twisted twin DS11T2 placed DS11T1s favorite stuffed animal in a perfect position on a glue trap.

When your DD6 bursts into tears while you're reading Harry Potter 1, when Vernon burns Harry's letters, and protests that she hates the book. Then later, she begs to read more and almost starts crying again when Harry first rides a broom and she thinks he is going to get expelled.

That's a touching story RRD.

We have had several bouts of tears in our house today because DS4 accidentally stepped on a worm.

Thanks, Ocelot. We sometimes have to remind ourselves that it's touching, because sometimes it's so exhausting that we lose sight of the beauty in it.

When your DS has to leave the butterfly conservatory because he saw a couple land on the ground and couldn't stand the idea that he (or someone else) might step on one.

And then there are lovely moments, like when your emotional OE little one is able to hold so still in the butterfly garden that multiple butterflies alight and rest there, resulting in strangers coming up to take pictures of the butterflies.

Awwww - that's sweet! Unfortunately, there's no way my DS would have stood still that long, even if he had stayed. LOL!

I had 4 land on me though, and managed to transfer one to DD by giving her my hat. I also did rescue one that had flipped over on the path (after DS left).