Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion I'm so Proud

I'm pretty new to this forum, and I've been reading some of your posts with my jaw almost locked in a "that's astounding" position in response to what some of your kids can do at such young ages. Sometimes I feel out-of-place, thinking that DD2.5 is smart, but not that smart. It seems like a lot of the kids are EG or PG, which feels very out of my league. But today, DD2.5 did something that has amazed my DH and me. It may not be a huge deal to most of you whose kids practically came out of the womb doing it , but DD sounded out and read her first word -- TUB.

We are so proud of her, and as far as friends and family go, we have no one to celebrate with us. So this is my little bragging post to say how proud I am of DD2.5, and that her ability to learn amazes me everyday.

How cool!

If it helps, I like to think of these kids we all discuss as OUR kids, so I get a thrill from the cool things they ALL do. I'm rooting for every one of them to grow and succeed and be happy and healthy and productive. As Dave Letterman says/used to say, "It's an exhibition, not a competition. Please, no wagering."

Now, as for your particular one of "our" kids...reading a word at 2.5 is pretty doggone early! Oh, yes!

And FYI: practically every one of us with an HG+ child has thought to herself "Well, doing that thing at this time is not that big a deal, right? Pretty normal, I think. S/he's smart, but not more than MG, I think," only to find out later that it's NOT ND AT ALL! It's called GT denial, my friend!

FWIW, I think you have a healthy case.

The other thing to keep in mind is that every GT child is different. DS5 is a great reader now, but he wasn't an early reader like many that post. So hearing about your DD sounding out her first word at 2 is definitely amazing to us! Our DS's strengths are just different, that's all.

Don't worry. GT-denial goes away in three, or four years, or... well I'll let you know when I'm over my case... :-)

JB

I personally think that is awesome!

My DS7 was not particularly an early reader either. He just went from zero to reading chapter books in a matter of months. I really don't remember him ever needing to sound out words. I just figured every kid was learning to read that way. My DD4 loves to read though, although within her comfort zone and I don't push her on it at all. She started out just like your DD!

Wow! What a wonderful achievement. You have every right to be proud and enjoy every second of it! It kind of sucks that you cannot really share such a milestone with too many people

If it makes you feel better our older one (DYS) could remember words at this age but couldn't sound them out. He "only" recognized words he remembered. As a matter of fact he never sounded out words, not even later on.


BTDT. We knew DS5 was smart, but not "that" smart. May be a little bit more than an average gifted kid, but for sure nothing that unusual. Let's just say that flew out of the window once we saw his score results. Your daughter sure belongs here

Now I am going through the same thing with DS4 who btw started sounding out unknown words at 2.5, but he cannot be as gifted as others on this board

If you haven't tried it yet. www.starfall.com is a fantastic source for beginner readers. We think that's where DS4 learned how to sound out words.

Congratulations again. I still remember how much excited we were about the very same thing.

My kids are now 13 � and 11 � and sounding out words are still not an area of strength. If they don�t recognize it, they can botch it up pretty well! My husband is the only one in our family with phonetic proficiency!

Good for your DD!

You absolutely should be proud, HM - what an exciting milestone! Thanks for telling us about it!

As for feeling out-of-place, if it's any consolation I'll add my voice to those who recognize that feeling. I regularly find myself reading about the accomplishments of other kids and thinking "Well that's clearly a different league from us." But then our DS4 will do something so unusual and striking, or we'll get feedback from someone very experienced with kids this age, and I'll think, "Hmm. Well maybe I'm not crazy after all." The thing is that each kid and each environment is so unique that it's incredibly difficult, for me at least, to know how one could even start to compare them. That's why it's probably very good advice not to try. What's exciting is to revel in the joy that these kids have in learning about new things, to cherish the glow you find in their eyes when something really clicks for them, and to give them the opportunity for those experiences as often as possible. Cultivate that joy, and every one of our kids will be well set up to take advantage of the plentiful gifts they have. There are other important aspects to parenting, of course, but this one seems pretty fundamental for kids like ours.

It's not the luck of phonetic proficiency. DS5 is quite good in reading in his other language which is almost completely phonetic. When he encounters a new word in English he will read it using the correct rules (not that it would work all the time) but he won't even try to sound it out. He will say the whole word or may be break it in two parts if needed.

Congradulations, HM - I'm proud of your 'our' kid too! How cool!
I love all of BaseballDad's points here. When my son was 3-6 there was no forum like this, and yes, although its for all gifted, it does have a 'farther out on the scale' slant. (I tried SENG's forums for a while, but I 'felt' more at home here, so here I am.) Still, I did the same thing you do, by reading the book 'Genius Denied' by the Davidsons. I saw what the other kids were doing, and thought 'Well, at least we don't have to worry about that, my son doesn't do what those kids do.' About a year later we had test results and I was filling out my YSP application. Apparently those IQ testers jobs are secure.

Cultivate the Joy!
Grinity

That's so cool! Have fun and continue to let her lead the way.