I think it is so important to follow-up on the reason for the tears. For me, tears come when I want to say something that I have noticed, but I know that someone will get hurt feelings or maybe somehow get in trouble if I say something, but I need to express what I am noticing and it is an internal conflict and the outward symptom is tears. To me it is a form of an expression of the anxiety we feel. There is a pressure to being so in tune with everything that is happening and with everyone around you. So, the tears might be an example of what experts may call our over-excitabilities, but it is a way we are showing that something is wrong. It is interesting to see how adults react to gifted over-excitabilities. That is one area that I fear that people surrounding gifted people don't understand. Maybe it makes an adult angry and they want the child to stop crying. Maybe it makes the adult panic if the tears come in public and they feel embarrassed. It could make the adult feel insecure that they cannot make the child happy. Some adults trivialize it and say the child is being silly. I would examine before (the crying) and after (the crying) to try to analyze the situation. I would listen very closely to what the child thinks was upsetting. I would try to see if listening intently to the child made the child feel better. I think it can be overwhelming for a highly intelligent child to be so smart. Being with loving parents allows them to just be a kid. When a really intelligent child is with 'average' kids they almost take on an adult role especially if the supervising adult is not managing the environment for the child. Your child probably picks up on every problem of every other child in the room they are in or on the playground. That can be very stressful. Stress can produce tears.
