Wednesday, February 17, 2010

a few more thoughts

I hope you are enjoying the blog series here on gifted children. In thinking about what we've discussed so far, I have become concerned about two things. First, I don't want to represent gifted children in a negative light. I realize that so far I have painted the gifted child as a rather complex, sensitive, strong-willed individual. While this is true, it does not adequately show the more joyful side of raising a gifted child.
  • They have a keen sense of humor
  • Their large vocabulary gives them a unique and engaging way with words
  • They have a zest for learning new things, which can often be contagious
  • They are highly creative, both with problem solving and pretend play

Secondly, I don't want parents to misinterpret the information in my previous posts and think that all challenging children are gifted or that high intelligence excuses poor behavior. Neither of these statements are true. There are many characteristics that combine to identify a gifted child. If you'd like to read more about that, I encourage you to click here. All children require proper guidance in order to become healthy, productive adults. As a parent, you can use your unique knowledge of your child's strengths, weaknesses, and personality to better understand how to accomplish this task.

2 comments:

Pearl said...

As a parent of gifted children, I think your comments are right on! I didn't feel as if you had painted gifted children in a negative light, so much as you were honest. There is a special joy that comes with the special challenge of parenting gifted children, and you have tapped into that. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Well said, Margaret! I appreciate your comments here. I sometimes think that only another parent of a gifted child can fully understand why we do the things we do, parenting a gifted child.