I have replied several times in the last 24hrs but I haven't introduced myself.

I was tested as gifted when I was 6. I spent most of my 1st grade year in the hallway finger painting. The teacher worked me up to a 3rd grade level but was afraid to let me go any farther. I spent all of elementary being "the smart kid." Nobody wanted to invite me to the birthday parties:) But I was mostly happy. I did suffer some childhood trauma....which added fuel to the fire. Until a couple years ago it wouldn't have been a normal day if I didn't break down at some point. But I have found that having a child has really settled my emotions and frustration with the world around me. My brothers think they are "more gifted" than me:) What they don't know is that I never actually went all the way through with an IQ test....I was shy and a little confused about why some stranger wanted to watch me do things I didn't think were very interesting:) But I am also the person who likes to play like I don't know what I am talking about. It gets me invited to a lot more birthday parties now:) I like to grow things, paint, draw, read, and write. I like repetitive task because I can make money while I think. I like to watch people read and watch children play. Something about how people discover the world is very interesting to me. I love poker. I like to cook but I am not very good at it because I get distracted while I am cooking and tend to burn things:) I like math but only use it when I have to. I love physics and psychology. For some reason I tend to make connections between the two and I think that is why I am good at poker. I am tired of chess....once you mess up it seems pointless. I hate monopoly for the same reason:) I love Disney World....it makes me feel like what I think being a kid feels like. My ultimate goal in life is to open a school for the gifted and for children who have autism. I think these two groups of people would benefit from one another. But my gifted test will be different. I will have a summer daycamp for 2-3 weeks at a time where children can be observed for traits of giftedness. I think sometimes gifted children wake up on the wrong side of the bed the day of a test and go years without being noticed as gifted. My daughter I believe is gifted. I don't want her tested right now. I don't know how I feel about her being tested. I am excited for her...but I am also a little scared. I don't want her to go through the things I went through. I never want a teacher to make fun of her. I want her to have friends and fantasy. I want her to believe in magic and possibility. So, when she tells me dinosaurs got on a spaceship and went really fast to another planet.....I don't correct her. I let her smear paint on her pants. I let her color her wall. I let her redecorate the kitchen as many times as she wants. I figure when she starts school next year they will make her sit in her desk and learn facts and figures instead of letting her explore and find......so I will let her roam. She still has to hold my hand while crossing the street though....and her daddy says she can't have a boyfriend until she is 23:)

Welcome!

You mean they didn't?

He's going easy on her. Our daughter will be waiting until she's 25... assuming she's out of the convent by then.

Haha...that's is what her grandfather says...she is going to a convent. I actually am putting my foot down on the sleepovers. From my own childhood experiences I decided that she can't go on a sleepover until she has a strong moral compass and isn't afraid to tell people no. I have a lot of people look at me funny when I tell them she can't have a sleepover yet.

Welcome to the board paynted28. Thanks for the introduction. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our kids we don't really talk about ourselves. Love your post. I had to smile at the poker ... I, too, love poker and probably for the same reasons you do. Something exciting about being able to read people and working it to your advantage. haha

As for the getting married until [fill in the blank], sadly I must report that our DD soon to be 3 1/2 informed us that she has a husband. His name is Micah and takes naps next to her in school. Of course, further investigation on my part revealed that her 'husband' is the bad boy in class. Joy! He likes to throw food and is constantly getting in a timeout, but DD finds this exciting and had to make a special valentine card for him. My DH is NOT happy about any of this information and has threaten an all girl catholic school and has on numerous occasions stated that she is not getting married until she is at least 35. I suspect our strong willed, opinionated daughter will have something to say about that. I had to laugh last weekend when DD decided she was going to marry 'buddy' her football blowup punching guy. She informed me that he was bringing her flowers and she needed to marry him. So I laughed and said sure ... go ask Daddy to marry you two. (Yes, I have an evil side.) She drags the blowup 'buddy' into the office and asked her question with a big 'Uh NO' from Daddy. Of course being a blowup punch bag led to some fun times with Daddy 'beating' on her fiance and DD informing him that he can't hit him but rather give him love pats like this (open hand). I could go on and on with that one but let's just say I had some entertainment for a while.

Mine has two boyfriends who live a few hours away from us....long distance relationships:) She likes to draw them pictures. Her daddy cringes every time she mentions them. I ended up with a "bad boy"....actually he is just gifted and was labeled that all his life. But i guess it is the challenge that girls sometimes find attractive:)
My daughter told me yesterday that she wants a boy.....told us I needed to go to the baby hospital and get a boy so she could name him Chris and give him baby toys to play with:)I think her daddy is thinking about it.....she could use a brother to scare off any prospective boyfriends:)

Hi Paynted28,

Welcome!

Thank you for the refreshing post. I echo your sentiment. Kids just seem to grow up so fast these days. "Enjoy time with your children while they still want to spend time with you..." one wise lady once told me when I was at a crossroad.

Now as far as dating.... DH and brother-in-law have plans for a tower. Currently, there are three cousins who have been signed up by their fathers, any one care to join?

Mag

Anyone planning a dungeon? I need someplace for my son. SuperBowl Sunday and his biggest disappointment is that the Sunday Night Football girl (Faith Hill)didn't sing tonight. Ehh, what should I expect from a boy who once woo-hoo'd a woman at the grocery store before he was potty trained! (And he did NOT get this from home!)

Welcome to the board.

Welcome to the board!

Welcome! Sorry to hear you had a less than inspiring education, that seems very typical of gifted kids, especially hg+. I am sure your daughter will benefit from your experience and desire to keep her curiosity alive (despite school )
And our daughter is too in-your-face to be terribly attractive to most males as of yet, so we'll see. We might not need a tower, just her natural 'charisma' might be enough to keep her from dating until 30 or so...