Who said recently that "a swiftly tilting planet" by madeline l'engle was great in how it showed the feelings of gifted children. I know it showed the wonder of adventure. Maybe a few books like that, books that are full of wonder in a alternate world, will remind her what awesomeness is. You don't have to tell her, but if she enjoys it you can silently chalk another point to the beauty of giftedness because not everybody seems to enjoy getting lost in a good book. I don't know why.
People badmouth competitions because of intrinsic versus external validation but competition can be fun if you're good at it and you'll hopefully be in competition with other kids who are nerds. The enjoyment a spelling bee provides is another quirky gift that's almost exclusively for the gifted. For some reason the enjoyment of nerd games is hidden from many other people.
I know it's not Christmas but maybe you can surprise her with an out of level science kit "just because". I'm sure any seven year old would throw themselves into a chemistry set with abandon for weeks and weeks. That's a true gift, a nerd gift, an unexpected present from your parents. Or just wait for Christmas. Science kits are nerdy benefits anyway.
It's almost summer. Do any of the gifted schools in your area have any kind of summer camp? I remember an old song "love isn't something you keep to yourself, you can't burry it, hide it, or store on a shelf.... love goes away if not practiced each day." I don't know if giftedness "goes away" or love either, but it's true that "smart" is not an object to be put on a shelf, it needs to be engaged to make any sense. Smart just isn't itself when it's in storage.
And that, to me, is what's great about being gifted. I guess I'm saying show her, don't tell her.
Last edited by La Texican; 05/20/13 07:34 AM. Reason: wait for Christmas
