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

I'm sure many have heard a version of this one.... this was during a rough Fall for our 6 year old.

"Mom, I don't know why they keep calling this problem gifted. It's not a gift. All it means is that I going to be bored and hate school for the rest of my life!"

I always look back at that moment and laugh- things have slowly improved, but it must be hard to be so little and have to deal with adults that just don't get it. lol

"Mommy, it's my obsession."

DD 3.2 on watching Curious George

Now you have to tell us what the aghast paed said!

She said she knew he was gifted before, but she said this was "really, scarily out there". It was the usual, "conventional educational options likely won't fit" talk. We ended up discussing how to sequence multiple grade skips, ability linked cohorts, and my idea to start a school, which she was extremely enthusiastic about, and I learned that she has a good understanding of emotional needs of the gifted. She's an older doctor--probably early 70s--so she has the benefit of experience, but she indicated this sort of behavior is not something she's seen.

I'm of two minds about these ped conversations at an early age. On the one hand, it's nice to have a ped noticing and talking about these things. On the other, I didn't love it when my ped told me in tones of (basically) horror that I would absolutely have to homeschool my DD when she was all of 14 months old. It hasn't turned out to be true, and it FREAKED me the heck out.

At least your DD demonstrated her true nature to your pedi.

DS has a very looooooooonnnnnngggggg memory and would begin crying at the entrance to the pediatrician when he was a year old. He was an incoherent mess and we finally left that office because of his memory of shots, ear-irrigations, etc. there. He's much more open with his new doctor.

BTW...To this day he relates how scared he was about the nurse checking his heart when he was born! I don't know if this is a true memory (it can't be at birth, can it?) or if it's another time at a "well-baby" appointment. He describes the nurse in detail.

He's very leery about any and all doctor's visits since. Although he has loosened up with his WONDERFUL dentist office. He questioned the woman giving him his x-ray about the safety, etc. Then he proceeded to question the other hygienist about fluoride in his mouthwash. They just chuckled and answered everything! Love that!

Ametrine, it sounds like a great dental office if they just go with the flow. Love it.

Ultramarina, I hear you. I was just reassured that the paed seemed to have an intrinsic interest in and knowledge of the gifted literature. We spent a good while (probably 20 minutes) chatting about asynchrony, the importance of nurturing emotional needs, finding friends and relatable peers, and the goals of special Ed in Canada. We didn't agree on everything, but it was refreshing to have my hunches validated by a third party.

As to education planning, that's the kind of bridge we'll cross when we get to it, paed advice aside. DS has a lot of maturing to do between now and 4-5; I don't think it would do him justice to make a decision without fuller information about his interests and abilities. This is really early. So, I agree! It does make it easy that I'm open to homeschooling K-1, but I would also like to explore creating a tailor made school.

Speaking of long memories, I always operated under the assumption that kids my kids wouldn't remember anything before the age of 4 because the only thing I remember from before 4 was a traumatic fireworks experience (not really but in my mind it was). Anyway, My DD10 had a turtle that she only had for a couple of weeks before it died somewhere just before or after her 3rd birthday. We didnt tell her it died, but that we had to let it go in the ditch, which we did. He was just dead. We have not mentioned the turtle since. The other day, somehow the turtle came up and I was shocked. She remembered everything about the turtle, and what we told her about letting him go. She even remembered where we got him from. Yikes! She only had the thing for 2 weeks and she was so young. I'm curious now to find out what other things she remembers.

Ametrine, I have read online on occasion about people who insist they still remember their own births and have memories from infancy or even in the womb. Pretty interesting, but who knows?! My earliest memory is a snippet from when I was 3 and visiting my grandmother ...

DD {looking at her AP stats course this morning}: Project proposal??

Me: It's second semester, don't worry about it.

DD14:

I like to worry IN ADVANCE.