The next person to tell me that their child is also gifted will wear a knuckle sandwich! ... I seriously would like to know what other "diagnosis" a parent would want to "steal"... I am not sure if this other parent would be so quick to tell me their child is gifted too if they had to live with mine for a week or even a day! ....
I do not go around telling other parents that my son is "autistic" too... or oh yes mine has diabetes too ... you would be labelled a complete lunatic!
It is not a free ride, nor a picnic, nor a bit of gloating ... it is a way of describing the fact that my son thinks and behaves in a seriously different way to the "average" kid ...
It is frustrating on a daily basis. It is upsetting, isolating and lonely for him and for us as parents. It is something we can not talk to other parents about. It is something the school does not entirely understand, nor cater to adequately.
So next time you want to laugh at me... or tell me that "we all think our kids are gifted don't we" (that was verbatim by the way!) ... stop.. think and filter ...
Nuf said.
(I have a 9yo HG child who was diagnosed as having the processing ability of a 17 year old at the age of 6)
Problem here is you're trying to speak French to the Chinese. The general population don't understand what 'gifted' actually means so they think you're talking about an above average bright achieving kid when the reality is often vastly different.
Perhaps using 'processing challenges' i.e. brain going faster than classroom or fingers etc, until you strike people that are actually aware of what giftedness means.
School is required to identify and cater (NAG1 footnote) so perhaps a small piece in the school newsletter with the definition and a few links to resources, checklists, psychologists, etc would have some becoming better informed.
Have you thought about speaking to the PTA and/or BOT to gain support/understanding? Hopefully with a small effort the understanding will deepen and maybe other parents having the 'what have I given birth to' experience may be lead to the light so to speak.
I have mixed feelings about some of this. On the point of people who say "oh well they are all gifted" - i agree that is just silly on any reasonable definition of "G". I tend to ask in such cases "what do you mean by gifted, we are obviously meaning different things".
On the other hand I am a little bit wary of 'definitions' which seem to EQUATE 'giftedness' with problems. The definitions I personally work to are of the "capable of operating intellectually at a substantially higher level than age peers" type. Now that MAY well go along with 'difficulties' or 'challenges', (2E), or it MAY result in difficulties/challenges eg when educational situation is a poor match. And I certainly laugh to myself when people assume oh its all easy when you've got a very bright kid - because I certainly know its not. But for myself I don't subscribe to the definition which seems to hold that a very high achiever isn't gifted by definition, and that in fact "gifted" BY DEFINITION = problems.
IMHO - what is the definitional consensus here?
BTW I have been 'diagnosed" HG myself and 2 kids likewise so am not without 'hands-on' experience, some of it difficult! :-)
BTW(2) the caps are not meant to be shouts - but you can't underline on here so I'm not sure how else to indicate mild emphasis.
Hi anon
thanks for your comments.. and I do agree.... there are certainly positives to being gifted..... I think I was merely looking for a safe place to say that I am exhausted with having to make excuses for his behaviour and personality...and when I do try to explain why he is like he is... I end up getting NO support... and more often than not laughed at or misunderstood.
