Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Reaction from strangers

Mostly we have had reactions to ds8s inability to SIT STILL! Altough that has gotten considerably better in the last year or so. And people do tend to be amused by a medically accurate body parts vocab.
One lady stopped me in the grocery store to tell me my son must be gt, back when he was still a toddler, because he was singing about all the food. Now he is 8, he keeps a bit more to himself.
My dd2 is often the center stage character with her singing and dancing and general carrying on; people usually just say stuff like: she MUST keep you on your toes! She is under the weather this week, so I'm actually missing all the action!!

My DD-then-2 and I were at Kohl's in the shoe area. DD started naming all of the letters she saw on the shoe boxes, no big deal to me and it kept her occupied. A man who worked at the store stopped and asked how old she was. He was amazed how much she knew. Then he started quizzing her, pointing at letters and asking what they were. He held up two or three fingers and asked how many were there -- DD would reply without needing to count them out; she just knew.

I didn't know what to think of this guy, but it was interesting to see DD answer a stranger's questions like that. I had never seen her do something like that for an unfamiliar person. The man left, walked by again and started asking her more questions -- maybe he didn't believe it the first time or something.

My DH and I were just figuring out that this wasn't typical 2-year-old behavior, so I didn't think it was such an unusual thing. Go figure!

I SO love reading all these stories - it makes me feel not so alone! I remember bringing my DS when he was around 1.5 years old to a staff meeting when I was still a teacher...it was at the end of summer, right before school was to begin and I couldn't find anyone to watch him...so he came with me - I brought his favorite board books with me and some other goodies and I still remember the numerous comments from others that they couldn't believe that he sat still through almost an hour meeting and was just glued to looking through books.

The only thing that really drives me batty is that people are SO quick to make comments about how "amazing" this or that is that my son does or says but strangers are also so quick to judge him by his size....he is only 5 but he honestly looks like he is at least 7 or 8 years old and has always looked much older than he is....so when he was 3 and was acting emotionally like a typical 3 year old, people would look and say, you are much too old to be acting like that...then I tell them, he is only 3 and they apologize immediately....argghh

My Ds5 is still wearing clohes for 18-24 months, so he is tiny. So we get lots and lots of comments.


About a year and a half ago we were in sainsburys a major supermarket when there was an a toy that he wanted down from a high shelf. He was nagging and nagging and having said no, I moved to the next aisle. There was a group of about five or six staff re-arranging a display. All of a sudden ds says in a very loud voice, " This is a customer announcement, There is a little boy in aisle ten who wants a toy from the top shelf. Would the staff in aisle ten please help him!"

The staff were astonished and of course thought it really cute. He is a real player.

Another time when barely three I had said he could have a packet of sweets as he was good. When we got to the sweetie aisle I offered the option of several. Quick as a flash he said, "I need nine packs,"
"No way." I said
"Yes I do, it says three for two on that sign, thats nine!"

Thats what first alerted me to the fact that he could read!

Three plus four plus two IS nine... I can see his logic. Great story!

Belle,

DD8 was like your son. We used to take her out to dinner at 10p.m. in the city with friends and she LOVED it. I really think between age 1 and 2 she felt like she was one of the grownups. Never crying, never fussing, just watching and imitating.

But she also looked(and still does) much older because of height. I used to get comments as to why she still had a bottle, wasn't walking yet, etc. when it was still very much developmentally appropriate for her to have a bottle or not walk yet.

DD6 always runs hot and never likes to wear a coat, even in winter. Now you all know, it your kid doesn't want to wear that coat, it isn't staying on long! There's only so many times you can get that coat on and zipped on one outing!
A very sweet looking old lady came up and scolded me in her passive grandmotherly way about how she should be wearing her coat and how she was going to get sick and how awful it all was!

I told her to shut up and mind her own business and walked away!


So bad, but she caught me at the wrong time on the wrong day!

I'm with you, 'Neato. That's one battle I don't fight.

"It's your body, kid, and you suffer the consequences if you're dumb about it." (Within reason, of course!)

MYOB, lady!