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

Ooops, I missed one.

DD was 5% math, too.

My DD10 started 6th grade having skipped 5th. The first full day she came home freaking out because she didn't finish her math in the math period for the first time ever and it was easy math. She asked me "What's going to happen if I don't get straight A's? What if I get a B? How will I get the harder work done if I couldn't get the easy stuff done?" with a look of terror on her face. I told her "The sun will explode, the universe will be destroyed and because of you humanity is toast." She gave me "The Look." Fortunately, for all of us, the last two days her work was done within the time period.

Ahhhh, yes-- The Look.

I'm familiar with this look. With or without the (optional) Major Eye Roll?

DD3.9 said a few things yesterday that were amusing.
1. mom, if I go to moon, how much of the earth will I see and won't it look really small?
2. Do you see the black clouds. That is where people who have died live. I lived there once and came from there. So I know.
3. When I die, my long arms will reach down to earth and surround you with love, mom.
The last two statements made on different occasions took me by surprise, and not in a pleasant way. No one has ever mentioned anything related to death to her, no books that talk about it, no one we know who died, etc.

DD14 remarks "Tone and intonation really ARE everything..."

One of the regular research students in the lab, today, commented; "Name on a paper... best paper at a conference... not bad for fourteen..." but she said it sincerely-- and teasingly, but with a smile.


Which just sounds SO much better than when {Teacher} said it* with that obsequious, patronizing tone and smirk."




*His exact words were; "You should be very proud of your performance in my class. You did a remarkable job for a 12 year old."

(This because she had asked him about extra credit (which is ROUTINELY handed out like candy from a parade float I might add- unless you happen to be already earning top marks, that is) in order to garner her the extra 3-5 points needed to elevate her high 97% to a 98% and an A+ in his Honors History course.

She loathes that teacher for that remark. She was positively indignant-- and she KNEW it was inappropriate as soon as she heard it. "What did he mean 'for a twelve year old??' My performance in his class has been GOOD-- FOR ANYONE. Wonder if he'd have said 'for a girl' if I were sixteen?" She was completely correct, actually-- her term paper would have gotten an A in the toughest college history class I ever took.

DD had an awesome day today, but that belongs in the brag-brag thread... this was just a funny insight into my DD's thinking. Not a little insightful as a window into what our PG kids face when they are accelerated, too, I think.

Oh, HK, that's such a pejorative comment from the former teacher. I'm glad your DD is receiving some positive feedback on valuable contributions from people she respects. That latter part was always key for motivating me.

---
On a personal note, DS21mo and I went to an art gallery today and he made a flip comment while we were signing in about being excited to create. He was standing behind the registration desk, and the employee asked if he was interested in signing up for the 4-5 year old camp. Then he stood up to address DS directly and said, "Oh, I guess he's not 4?" to which I replied, "He's 1."

Strangely, that's not the first time he's been mistaken, when out of sight, for a 4-5 year old. I'm not going to lie; it felt really eerie. Granted he's a tall guy, but he looks his age.

Aquinas, when my youngest was about 18 months I had multiple people asking me if she was 3 or 4 as in "Is she 3, or 4?" Or "So she's.... 3... And a half?". An THAT was weird enough for me. In my case they wet all looking right at her and so maybe it helped them not guess older, she is huge, but still he difference between 1.5 and 3.5 is a lot even wen you're tall! She wasn't as advanced as your son though, and she's kind of slowed down with the more overt advanced skills as she focuses on being a social butterfly. She's hugged strangers in public twice this week. Both times she maybe meant to hug my legs but her response I not to freak out, it's "I'm firstname, that's my mummy, I blah blah blah blah blah blah...." While hey look on in befuddlement.

HowlerKarma, She is not really an eye-roller, but she bunches her nose and gives the "my-eyes-have-lasers" glare.

Thank you so much for the reassurance!! I knew the Davidson crew would be able to commiserate.

I felt like I'd been dropped into the story of the emperor with no clothes, like everyone around me is drinking some psychedelic child-aging Kool-Aid. We can't go anywhere these days without DS being described as "brilliant" or "unbelievable" within a minute of meeting someone. It's making me antsy because we don't use that language at home. For instance, today on the train, DS was examining a screw and declared that he needed an Allen wrench to fit it, and the man next to us gasped and mouthed "He's a genius." That hyperbole makes me so uncomfortable, and I don't think there's any reasonable way to shelter DS from that kind of label. He's too young for those to be teachable moments.

I'm starting to feel like I have no idea what "advanced" looks like. To me, DS is just a giggly, charming toddler. He just happens to use words like "crenellated battlements" and "parasaurolophus", which make him seem older.

Excuse my tizzy. I didn't mean to spill my guts, but apparently that's been getting to me subconsciously. I just want him to have a fairly normal childhood without internalizing exaggerated labels or being a spectacle.

That's a reasonable concern, aquinas. I didn't know just how much being a side-show freak bothered my DD until she listed this as her NUMBER ONE priority for a college-- to be "somewhere that they don't all treat me like a spectacular trained animal or baby Mozart or something. I want to be where being a 15yo and being really really smart isn't WEIRD."



I just cringed at those comments when she was younger. Even now, I can see her lip curl and her jaw tighten. It's really sort of rude. Like shouting "Wow-- he is sure FAT!!" (ugh)