Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional for the love of all that is holy, STOP TALKING

thanks everyone. I left out some important pieces:
her reading ability is very high--well beyond third grade, not sure where so she COULD read chapter books or magazines, but she prefers to talk if she sees me. I seem to trigger her verbal volcano.
She doesn't like electronics. I actually bought her a number of electronic devices to buy myself some alone time, but she rejects them so far. I do allow some TV, but if she sees me she even comments continusously on the TV. I limit tv but remind myself to use it if I am at my wit's end. We have some playdates scheduled this week to my relief. When I have other kids over, I notice that they pull into themselves sometimes, play alone for short periods etc, but those things are foreign to my DD. She is just stuck on "ON" and "HIGH." It had been hard to find times to meet with other kids because all the other kids we know are scheduled to the hilt but she is having a special playdate this week and gymnastics will start up. I take her to an open gym where she is the loudest person there.

I have made a chart with quieter voices and a five point scale which we practice.

I should have added that she is in K and it is only 2.5 hours. She has incredible stamina and would have been fine full day or even four hours. I wrote this post on a three day weekend where yes, she is awwake and talking a full 14 hours. During the week, we leave the house right before 8 and I am back to pick her up at 10:30 so I have that quiet time. It will be different next year when she starts first grade and is gone for a full day. I just want to teach her the skill of being able to be quiet for longer periods at home if we are home because although I can be very talkative myself, I do like chunks of silence.

Her verbal skills are very high (tested age eqiv. of 9 or so in verbal areas when she was still 4) but other parts of her are still a kindergartener so maybe she doesn't know what to do with all the verbal energy. I am encouraging her to write more. I don't trust her with a video camera because I can see it leading to the frat boy type antics that she starts with her four year old sister...

Hehe - I hear you! My DD (now 9) is exactly the same. The only respite we ever got was at age six, when she she decided she wanted to raise money for an endangered animal (I forget which one) and after her suggesting various methods we managed to persuade her to agree to do a sponsored silence. Oh, that was the most blessed hour of my life . Now, we pop her on the computer and she'll write long stories, make power point presentations or write up research. Granted, she'll still try and 'share' everything she's writing but we make her 'save' her work so we can have the excitement of a surprise - well, that's what we tell her anyway!

So, empathy in spades - and, good luck!!

K

Oh man, yes we have 5.5 dd non-stop talking, but she has been in full day kinder this last year, and I work so I don't get as worn out on it. For about a year there, we also had ds11 non-stop whistling which was nice here and there but eventually got on one's nerves. I had to tell him before he went out to scout camp that if he whistled all the time there the kids would probably tie him up and leave him outside the tent to sleep!

We have a nonstop talker too. DS8 has been talking nonstop since he could talk! Which was early... I am kind of chatty myself, so I can sort of understand his need to talk, especially after school, where he's spent the day being quiet. He does have daily homework of 30 minutes of reading, which is a great break. I try to keep him supplied with really good books so he goes beyond the 30 minutes. (even though he could read well early on, for the most part he would read only if it was a school assignment.)

A not very healthful suggestion -- ring pops! They work.

Sugar-free chewing gum?