How about when watching a movie? Mine simply cannot sit quietly and watch a movie. He talks the whole way through - asking questions, making commentary, pointing out things that look like other things, making connections and comparisons. It makes my DH absolutely crazy! His GT teacher at school last year told me it is a trait of giftedness, but I'm not so sure.
My DS is a man of few words. ((Don't ask about humming, whistling, pen clicking, and other noisy habits. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was using echo location.)) As was mentioned, he, too, might occasionally give you a 45 minute lecture on the parenting habits of Pengins (2nd grade) but one is lucky to get a one word answer to 'personal questions.'
However, if I ever start to miss his voice, I can start watching a movie, lecture or podcast. Then he'll fill my ear with questions and commentary. I've tried to teach him to be able to sit quietly during plays after a wearing experience attending the play '1776.' He wanted to 'get' the reference every time the audience laughed, which was usually a 'double entendre.'
He has improved with age, but my worst experience was sitting on a tram in Key West, while the tour guide squaked barely intelligible local history while DS (5?) teetered on the edge of a tantrum, getting more and more tense, trying to catch every bit of information. I had no clue that DS was gifted at the time, but now I understand that he actually feels anxious when he doesn't understand the words around him.
Is this a sign of gifteness? I think it's a sign of his Intensity, which is probably related to his giftedness. I know that not all gifted kids are talkitive, but I know that whatever my son does, he does with gusto, even if it's sitting on the couch zoning out. I used to worry that he was having slight seziures.
Love and more Love,
Grinity
