Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Not-really-brag-so-much-as-quirky- anecdote thread

And then there's my DW, who knows she has a sibling who is gifted, and displays a number of gifted traits, but due to SES and health-related issues during her school years, she has no idea how smart she really is.

DD14, in a moment of teenaged angst over our emphatic limitations on her on-line time in favor of learning to do NON-virtual things for a change, complained bitterly to me yesterday that she-- and I'm quoting here, because I am still laughing at the sheer chutzpah;

"shouldn't have to take on age-inappropriate responsibilities because of [our] poor parenting choices,"

and that if she were just going into high school next year (as opposed to getting ready to graduate), she wouldn't have to be concerned about picking a college or working hard to earn scholarships with her free time. This snit because I wasn't going to let her spend the entire evening on Skype, but wanted her to complete chores and an hour of obligations in preparation for a major competitive event later this summer...

Because, sure... in typical teenaged-thinking, the alternative associated with being 14 and a rising high school freshman is almost certainly that we'd allow her to do whatever she pleased and grant her every whim at the same time.... Suuuuuuure we would.


There was a moment of clarification-seeking before I tackled this particular notion. Gave her a chance to use the escape hatch, but she opted out, basically.

Me:

So you're saying that radical acceleration ruined your life?

That we SHOULDN'T HAVE done that?


That your life would be so much BETTER if you were just finishing up 8th grade this past year... in a regular bricks-and-mortar classroom... just one of the regular kids at the middle school, eh?

No summer internship, just 'being a kid' and all that, right?

Hmmm??





I'd like to think that most 14yo's wouldn't trot out "you're not treating me in a developmentally-appropriate manner, here" as a reason why they shouldn't have to do as they're being asked.

MAN, can this kid argue, though.

(Oh-- because of the nasty attitude and shirking her responsibilities, her ultimate reward was not getting ANY computer time for the evening. :sigh: She was REALLY mad at me when I took her mobile device and locked her out of her dad's laptop, too, I must say.)

DS5 after 2 attempts to get his Dad to help him with something said in anguished tones "I beseech you to help me Dad". How could he resist..? Hope he doesn't try that one at school!

DD3.8 and I went overseas to visit family. On our flight back, I forgot to collect her three stuffed toys during our first leg. I realized it when we were waiting to board the next plane. I was so upset with myself but not wanting to upset DD said," I think your friends really like visiting with all our people here so they decided to jump out of the bag and stay here. I am sorry." She looks up at me and says calmly," Mom, don't you realize they are toys and they cannot jump out of the bag. I think you forgot to pick them up. That's okay. I am not too upset." I felt so proud and so sad at the same time, I promised her I would buy her 10 stuffed toys to make up for this. I got her the first one yesterday.

That is just beautiful. Melts your heart.

I was touched by DS20mo's compassion toward an upset little boy (maybe 2.5) at the park today. The boy's nanny was rushing him though transitions, being rough and, most appallingly, shaming him for being upset in front of ofher children. The poor little soul was bawling his eyes out.

DS decided to go over to "cheer up boy", and began gently stroking the boy's arm and head and giving him a sympathetic smile saying, "cheer up, you'll be okay". I thought it was lovely that he was so concerned that he felt compelled to intervene, and in such a gentle and appropriate way.

DD has been plowing her way through Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier and the two-part inventions.

She's polishing up #8 right now and-- well, she's playing with it stylistically now that she has it completely up to tempo. Her piano teacher and I are both early music aficionadi, and she likes to tweak us.

Teacher: "It sounds really great-- lovely speed and tempo. I have some concerns about your left-hand dynamics, though. You're playing it like Rachmaninoff. This is... BACH. Light. Etherereal. You're really pounding the left in your fortes and making the piece very dark and heavy, texturally." (DD was smiling into the distance, obviously satisfied with herself over this) "This is supposed to be a harpsichord work-- light, dancing quality here. Not (she pounds keyboard) an elephant."

DD: "Hey!! I like Rachmaninoff. A lot. Besides, elephants do dance. I've seen them. Haven't you ever been to the circus? It's amazing. I like elephants, too. Just not as much as the 20th century Russians. Would you like Stravinsky instead? How about Bartok?"

She played it again with the requested changes, but it was clear that she disagrees re: keeping the sound 'period-appropriate.'

Frankly, the teacher ought to be happy that she's not yet figured out how to (consistently) put any of the two-part inventions through the Jellyroll Morton machine. Because I guarantee that she's thought about it.

:facepalm:

HK, as with anything meaningful in life, Wilde's "Importance of Being Earnest" has something to say on the topic.

Algernon-- " I don’t play accurately—any one can play accurately—but I play with wonderful expression. As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep science for Life."

That's a generous comparison, thank you Mana. I always enjoy your stories.

Not surprisingly, DD is on such overly familiar terms there that she refers to him as "Algy" and spouts irreverent quotes at random.

The Rach is back at the Bach BWV 779 as I type, in point of fact. Since her teacher isn't here to stop her, I guess. I know her well, though-- I just bet her that she couldn't play it as FAST as Kris Becker's smoking 45 seconds of Baroque mayhem.

Her response? "Challenge accepted." (I'm fairly cunning in my way, because there's pretty much no way to play it fully articulated AND that fast-- at something close to 150, I'm guessing-- without lightening the touch on the left hand. LOL) I didn't even bother telling her what I was betting; no need.

ETA: Ten minutes later and it's becoming clear that she's out to prove me wrong. She's kept the Rachmaninoff touch and has it up to a rock steady 138 and rising. :shakes head:

I've often said that my DD's theme song is Sid Vicious' rendition of My Way.