Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Calvin & Hobbs - how can gifted relate?

We have been reading Calvin and Hobbs on some one's here suggestion. We have had lots of laughs. This very relatable for me with the drama. Last night I said to my DS9, it's interesting that this boy is young with an imaginary friend and yet he has such big kid thinking. I said he must be gifted. My son said, yeah he uses such big words. So I think my son gets something good from this. I wonder if he can take in how some of the drama is over the top and relate it to his life at home. (he doesn't have drama at school) I also note how it shows the parents frustration.

I was wondering if someone here had thoughts on these cartoons and how it could be helpful to someone gifted with too big a feelings and drama at times. Maybe him just reading it is enough and I should just see if anything else comes naturally. It does seem like a unique opportunity to take advantage of possibly with life skills. Maybe I'm over thinking this.

In Calvin & Hobbs, I have seen some references to sex and some older content that I would normally not allow for my DS9. I feel so strongly that this unique story content is something he can learn by more that these unapproved topics can harm him. This is so different thinking for me. I'm so cautious normally. They are both very sensitive to scarey violent content. My kids are much more shelter than the general population with games and tv. I have loosened up somewhat so to not overdo the sheltered childness. I have tried to put some of the reading content responsibility into my son's hands. I tell him I can't read everything before he does so he needs to monitor himself to a certain point and not read what does not feel appropriate. (He read over 350 books last year, so it is truly not possible.)Any thoughts?

We love Calvin and Hobbes. I think it is all good. We use it in parenting, relating the world and complex social situations to our kids and in helping them understand behavior. "Life could be worse Calvin" is our standard line when either of our kids complains :-)

One of my sons actually learned to read from his Dad's Calvin & Hobbes bookes. It caused quite a laugh when "transmogrification" was one of his early sight words. Garfield comic books are their favorite French reading, which I will encourage for the same reason - they pour through them in ways they do not with their French readers.

I can't help a lot with looking deeply into C & H, because it is my DH who was reading adult level books at age 6-8 while I am much closer to average. DH knew that C & H would really capture their imaginations but I am not althogether sure he looked at it deeper himself. The down-side for my sons, was that they had Calvin's version of school fixed in their heads before they started school.

... If you do want to look more deeply into Calvin and Hobbes, how about the connection to the philosophers they were named after? Just a thought.

My son has been reading Calvin and Hobbes on and off since kindergarten. He just went through a phase where he whipped through a whole bunch of them again. We can't sensor either. It just wouldn't work at our house and all the content we've come across seems to be ok for DS8. My husband actually owns almost every C&H book published if that says something about him!

It's interesting some of the cultural and historical discussions that have come up due to him reading C&H. And changing with his age and maturity level too.

Wow! What a thought. I had no idea about this connection. This might be a great way to get a child into philosophy. This is a lesson in not prejudging something...I had no idea a cartoon strip could be so beneficial. My children are truely opening my eyes to much much more..

DH and I both love C & H, and ds5 has seen us reading them. Ds has not picked them up yet, despite being able to read them, but I think it may not be much longer. I'm ok with that. Most of it is ok for him, and a lot of what isn't will probably go over his head anyway. I figure we can handle anything that does come up with discussion.

Quite happily, DS8 has physically worn out several C&H books, as they have been a favorite since just before turning four, and he has been able to quote chapter & verse of C&H since forever.

DS's appreciation & understanding has grown over the years and I credit C&H with at least some of the development of our son's wit & sarcasm.

We also went through a lengthy period of "Polls show..." pronouncements at meals as well as Calvin-like laments over anything that even attempted to build character.

In pleasing contrast, however, our son loves to take baths and enjoys(?) almost all vegetables.

One C&H fan has painstakingly cataloged every strip and added keyword tags, so if you want to find the strip about Calvin and his Paddle Ball, you can do so. (Another fan had the actual images, but the publisher killed that effort.)
http://www.reemst.com/calvin_and_hobbes/stripsearch

And as long as I'm sharing:
http://www.platypuscomix.net/otherpeople/watterson.html

and:
http://ignatz.brinkster.net/calvin.html
http://uffen.org/c_background1.html

Same, but the the books usually live on my sons' bookshelf, or their beds... and if they can't find it, we look whereever DH has been.

Another great strip for gifted kids is FOXTROT! The main kid character is definitely High Gifted, and enjoys his power over his siblings!

Yes! That was where DD went after memorizing all of our Calvin and Hobbes books. I never thought much about the cartoon until she started reading it and identifying with Jason instead of Paige. She finds it hilarious

BTW, I decided to try a quick search related to this topic and I found these gems related to C and H:


http://www.goption.com/archives/candh.pdf


http://ignatz.brinkster.net/cschrodinger.html