When people assume your child is gifted

[Anonymous]

Gifted is a vague term that has taken on the meaning smarter than most kids. It does not mean they think your kid is going to be the next Elon Musk. Relax

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is tidy and well-behaved, so people make insane assumptions about her intelligence based on that. For some reason she seems to attract the attention of type-A tiger parents (we are a mixed family) of truly gifted kids who assume we are on the same path based on our education and professional lives. I usually brush off any conversations they want to start with “we’re focused on other things and we’re really happy with how school is going” because from experience people are seeking out receptive audiences with which to obsess over criticizing academic rigor at school or obsess over competitive admissions for other schools, and that’s not a conversation that I like to have in my free time.

You're doing the same thing, erroneously assuming those tiger parents have gifted kids.

I don’t assume their kids are gifted nor do I know whether they actually are. These are parents announcing it as a conversation starter! If you haven’t experienced it it’s probably hard to imagine, but it’s quite acceptable light conversation in some circles and cultures.

[Anonymous]

This has come up with my kid but I never took it as awkward. “No, not looking at xyz; we think the local school will be a good fit.” “Gifted” may be some educational label but most people just use it to mean smart. Don’t make it awkward if it’s not.