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I agree, it's been well done so far and the child is massively adorable!

I think if there is a news flash everytime she does something new or they start following her life it might get a bit weird.

My screen name is telling in that I'm a very private person and I guard my children's privacy even more closely than my own.

That obviously colors the lense through which I view these issues.

Sorry if I was unclear. THIS board discussed her, but I was referring to another gifted board where things got very ugly. Elizabeth's dad wandered into the conversation, and he was quite upset by some of the comments.

I read an article recently about a gifted young woman who scored in the 80th percentile on the SAT (at age 12) and is planning to apply to Yale at 13. Her mother said she started reading at age four, and her early development sounded gifted but not near as far out as many of the kids on this board. It's weird to think that any one of us could be getting press for our kids just being who they are...

That is absolutely my take, Lorel. It just doesn't seem newsworthy.

And putting a child in the spotlight for just being who they are seems a tad too exploitative to my taste, unless there's some larger (and noble!) goal in mind. IMHO...

Excellent points everyone. I'm sorry I brought her into the conversation and feel badly and as though I dehumanized her.

Yes, I guess the weird thing to me is the implication that there aren't other kids who do similar things.

No, no! I don't think you did anything wrong--she's amazing and cute, too! I don't think you dehumanized her.

I agree--I don't think you did a thing wrong, lanfan. No worries! Really! <reassuring pat on the shoulder>

I have to say I went out to the link before reading the rest of the posts but find what I am about to say echoes a lot of what has been discussed for the most part.

1. Absolutely adorable kid, but I really do not understand the need to put her in front of the media. They are setting themselves up for some serious issues later on and I cringe at the thought of having my child made into a circus act. I do have to admit that the interviews were done in a tasteful manner and okay you might argue the looking for like-minded children but I and everyone else was able to do so without involving the media. In this same thought process, if their argument was looking for advise or similar children than I would assume that they had not come across the gifted blogs, but by what I read they clearly had if the father was posting to some strings back during the first interview.

2. level of giftedness - my question since I read someone refer to her as clearly PG+. All we have seen on the interviews is the reading factor and of course the puzzle that no one was talking about. Does anyone know if she is mathematical as well? Because correct me if I am wrong here, but my understanding is to be level 5 a child has to have developed in both categories. HG+ and EG+ are the kids that show strengths in reading or math, but not necessarily both, right?

That's not how I understand it. It's more about intensity and drive. I believe it is possible to be PG in one area.

Remember, too, that many kid develop asynchronously, having "math spurts," for example, when they're ready for them. At ages 5 and 6, DS7 was not what I would have called terribly mathy. But he did some 2+ years of math in about 4 months last year, and suddenly, he was years ahead in math, too. He just hadn't been all that interested before, but suddenly, he was ready and he was interested, and BOOM!

She may just be on a language kick right now.

The very highest level kids are well-rounded and have intensity and drive and I think Ruf puts those as her level 5 kids. I think what Kriston says is very important, though, and that is that much of what all kids do comes in spurts. At 2, there haven't been many opportunities for spurts yet. It will take some time before one can say if a kid is or isn't mathy.