Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums How & when do you tell your child...

We never had "the talk" about being gifted. DD9 had an early awareness of thinking and learning differently. She knew she was the youngest in Kindergarten and she also knew she could read harder books than others. In her private school, all entering K students were tested, so no real talk about getting a special test. Later on, as DD was bored in school, we started having more conversations about giftedness whenever she would bring it up. She is very much aware about her unique abilities even now when she is in a GT classroom.

It's ok to explain why your child is being tested. We explained that the test is to see how DD learns and that there is no way you can fail this test. This is very important to a perfectionist who gives up easily. DD ended up liking the test experience and is asking to be tested again....


Jen

I think this is the way to go with just about everything. Usually "the talk" about anything is tense and odd and on the parents' terms rather than the childs. We have lots of little conversations that are based on DS's curiosity, questions, and sometimes just something we see hear on the radio and it reminds me to bring up a subject. As soon as he looks like the conversation is over, we move on. That approach takes lot of pressure of both of us.

we have always been pretty straight forward with DS7. told him he ws gifted, but now he sort of hates that term. I think it signifies "difference" to him. So in essence when someone says to him he's gifted, he hears, your different. He asked us to just say he's advanced, or "ahead of the game."