Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy do GT kids talk more than ND?

I'm glad to hear "st pauli girl"'s comment in conjunction with all of the other comments. One of the things that I wondered as well is if I somehow produced this behavior b/c I too gave my DD a play-by-play when she was an infant. My DH likes to say "You did this" when I complain about the talking.
As a wee little thing I wouldn't hand her anything until she asked for it in words and not "clicks and grunts" as I would tell her. I mean she was 3 months old and I would repeat a simplified version of whatever she wanted like "eat" or "fruit" and then not hand it to her until she said "ee" or "fuu". Then I would sing-song "thank you" and she would go "na na". Good to know that DD would have become a talker either way.

This topic is so funny to me. My DD is a major talker but I also think she is more intravert b/c forever when out in public she was close lipped and even today if someone she doesn't know talks to her directly she clams up. Is this an intravert? I really don't know but she is still shy around others. I too did play by play and refused to accept grunting for an answer. I was the nutty parent in the grocery store talking to the infant about everything around us.

There was one time we were in a craft store around the ribbon which she always had to have one or two to hold. This excited her and she started talking like she normally did at the house and I thought nothing of it but kept acknowledging her comments while looking at the ribbon. I really did not realize she was talking in sentences. A woman came around the corner to look at her and asked was she talking in sentences? Of course she was and had been for some time.(she was barely 11 months old) She was a mother of a 10 mth old and was freaking out that her child was barely saying mama and was there something wrong with her baby. I had to spend the next 20 minutes assuring her that there was absolutely nothing wrong with her child.

I always laugh at my husband when she is going on and on and proclaim: remember when we were soooo excited for her to talk? I really don't know if us constantly talking to her produced this result or if she was hardwired to be an early speaker no matter what we did, but we too deal with the constant chatter of our DD.

DS was always excited when we took him hiking in bear country. It was the only time we were happy to just have him tell us everything on his mind and we never got the least bit annoyed and we never worried about surprising a bear. A few times DS actually ran out of things to say on a hike and we'd get to say, "tell us more about the video game you are playing." He was so happy!

HA! That's about it, too. Ds6 *never* stops talking. I admit to tuning out sometimes, until I realize I've made one "uh-hunh" too many and agreed to something I shouldn't have!

He will, though, often be redirected by math or a word game and is much happier because of it. It gives some form to his energy!

Katelyn's Mom: The definition of "introvert" and "extrovert" that makes the most sense to me is the one that talks about it in terms of how you recharge your batteries. The introvert is recharged by alone time and is drained by time with people; the extrovert is energized by time with people and is drained by time alone.

If DS4, my extrovert, has more than a few minutes to himself--even if he had plenty of sleep all week--he falls asleep. It just wears him out to be alone. He can actually be quite shy. But he CRAVES social time.

Now, DS7 and I are very social, outgoing and talkative with people, but we both get worn out when with people for long. No one can ever believe that I'm an introvert because I can talk to anyone about anything, and I enjoy it. But it wears me out. I'll have a great time at a party, but then it will take a day's worth of time to myself for me to recover. I'm utterly fine at the party; it's the next day that is a problem because if I don't get the time alone that I need, I get more and more grouchy until I DO get it. It's a need for me, not a want.

DH looks more like the stereotypical introvert than DS7 and I do: quiet, not outgoing. But I tend to be more worn out by social events than he is, and thus score higher for introversion on the Meyers-Briggs Index than he does, even though I don't look like an introvert to most people.

All people need both some social time and some time alone, but the balance is different for introverts and extroverts. And it's entirely possible to be an outgoing introvert or a shy extrovert.

So by this definition, your tight-lipped daughter is an extrovert if she needs social time in order to feel energized. If she's talkative at home but craves her alone time to feel herself again, then she's an introvert.

Does that make sense? I'm not sure I explained that very well...

Thanks for the run down and your explanation makes perfect sense. I see why you are writing a book. But even with this definition I am still not 100% sure she is one or the other. She doesn't have to have my attention all the time and can go off to do activities without an audience. I don't know if this fits into the topic but DDs sleeping habits have at the beginning of her life been the typical HG+ kid. She only took little cat naps and needed my attention all the time but later we got her in the habit of an afternoon nap. In the last few weeks she has not been napping. She will be falling asleep in the car on our back from being out and I take her up to her bed but she plays until I finally go up and get her. She never gets upset about alone time and when she does come downstairs she is full of energy.

Typical after-school "conversation" between me and GT son:

Me: How was school today?
DS6: Good.
Me: What did you do?
DS6: Nothing.
Me: Do you want a snack? Hello? Hello! (louder voice) Do you want some pretzels?
(By this time, DS is usually engrossed in playing, thus end of conversation)

So clearly, it's not always the case...

LOL, Jool! And there's my DS7, who pretty much talks just the right amount for me. He is my "mini-me," so we usually get along quite well all day together.

K's Mom: remember, too, that not all people are very extreme. In other words, your DD might be just right near the center line that divides introvert from extrovert, so she might be pretty evenly balanced, 50/50.

Or maybe you would have to ask her which energizes her and which recharges her. Maybe you can't tell, but she could tell you...

Our DD is a talker! But thats just great with me cause I am too. My parents say it is pay back, but I would not have it any other way.

DS is a watcher, he catches everything but dose not say much.

Baby is a toucher and has to always be touching something, me, a fuzzy toy or blanket anything tactile. This gets annoying because she really likes my hair.

So I have one talking, one watching and listening, one rubbing my arm and trying to eat my fuzzy sweater. Its a pretty good arrangement.

ROFL!