Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion You know you're parenting a gifted child when...

... when you find yourself mentally doing asides during conversations with your child which go something like "I sure hope that she never vocalizes any of this to anyone else... because nothing says "I'm a freak" like {whatever it is} at {age}." But you wonder if you should engage in some of the more odd things that s/he seems to want to discuss-- because you're afraid of "encouraging it."

And then you feel bad because that's truly not how YOU feel about such conversations... it's just that you don't want anyone else to view your child as a specimen rather than as a person.

And ooooooo-- the caution about "smart kids," too. I've so made that mistake, blithely leaping in to 'share' and thrilled that another parent has a HG child... only to realize that, oops-- nope, what they mean is something pretty different than what we're used to and I just made them feel really inadequate, where previously they'd been very proud of their kids. (I hate that-- they SHOULD feel proud and happy.) I'll.. just... crawl into this convenient hole, here...

... when your 5yo reminds YOU that most other 5yo girls won't like a science kit, a boxed set of novels, or a copy of Grey's Anatomy for a birthday. "Mom, focus. {deep sigh and an eye roll} This isn't for me. {Child} won't like that." (Said with a tone of "Seriously?? Mom, what ARE you thinking??")

oh dear - we hear the "most girls of 5 wouldn't..." refrain about 20 times a day.

it worries me that this kind of talk means that she's always defining herself by her "Otherness" ... but then again, she's not particularly typical, so for better or for worse, it's not an inaccurate self-assessment. sigh. this is a very tricky one.

Oh, yes, that. And that, too.

... when you find yourself asking, three weeks into school, for the ADDITION of a dual-enrollment class for your 14yo, because the regular HS AP offerings aren't taking up enough time to legitimately fill even 2/3rd of a "school day."

So true. Last year DS had to choose a gift for his crush, a girl one year older than him. He said she liked "sparkly" things, so chose a learning prism.

A few months later another girl invited him to her party and I chose that gift...a stuffed mini pooch in a cute little purse. She said it was cute, tossed it aside, and played with something another child gave her.

When your four year old gets the gift of a lifetime, a ripped out dashboard gauge layout, and asks you to help him "see what makes this baby tick", and you do. Then you later realize the solder is likely lead-based and amidst tears from your preschooler, reluctantly button the "baby" back up.

When your surly 13 year old asks if there is any way she can skip the boring 8th grade and go to college now.

When you plan an elaborate treasure hunt for your DD's sixth birthday and make a point of using rhyming clues with what you think are simple words, only to discover that only your DD and her BFF can read them.

When your seven year old has read the Harry Potter series so many times that she has large chunks of it memorized.

When you take the enrichment homework the gifted coordinator has selected for your older DD and give it to her younger sister, who zips through it and asks if you have anything harder.

...When you can't tell if your young child is reading or memorizing text. You could swear that you've already read the passage he's reciting, but you can't be sure because you burn through hundreds of library books every month. There are only so many fictional animals you can reasonably keep tabs on without losing your mind

...when you are reluctant to let your DD10 stay the night at a slumber party with a number of girls she doesn't know. That's a normal parent. Aaah! But, it's because you don't know how long she can go without saying a lot of "stuff" that will make the other girls think she's really weird and you want her to leave the party on a good note.