are really bright kids harder to parent?

[Anonymous]

I agree. It can be obvious. The tell-tale signs aren't "high-maintenance," has to be chased a lot, and won't sit down to play with a toy, though. Ha.

You're right. The signs are "thinking circles around her peers." Since most of them can't talk, though, you just have to imagine what they're all thinking and imagine she's thinking circles around them. Or, if you try really hard, sometimes you can see those little cartoon thought bubbles floating above their heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yawn

Yes. and one thing that makes them harder to parent is that except in an annoymous forum of this one, you can never ask for advice about any concern related to how smart they are. Because that is the reaction that you get.

I am fortunate that I have a friend whose son clearly is very smart as is my daughter, and we have been able to discuss openly some issues that could very easily come across as obnoxious. For example, we have discussed whether accleration or enrichment are better approaches for the smart child. Is is better to move several grades ahead in math or to spend less time on math and more time on music? which will be better for the child? A gifted an talent program will do more acceleration? a private school with lots of very bright kids (and not all privates can honestly say this) that only goes a grade ahead a most but spends lots of time on other things? What about socialisation? We have both remarked that our kids play differently with each other than with some other kids.

Yawn.

God, what a pretentious bore. And your friend. Two of a kind.

[Anonymous]

My teen-age daughter is Dr. Spock math genius smart. I was a "liberal arts major," if you will. (G&T program as a child)

It was fun being a parent when she was small, not so much now. She thinks she knows more than I do, (which I know is normal for a teen) and she often does. Sometimes the respect is lacking because she knows she's smart and thinks I'm not.

I may not be able to do calculus in my head, but I do have 40+ years of life experiece, which counts for something.

[Anonymous]

When my DD was 1, it was "obvious" that she was energetic, extroverted, curious, adventuresome, observant and a good mimic. People would often say, "she is so smart" when what they were really observing was something like her curiousity, mimicry, friendliness, etc. Those things are not evidence of her IQ. She is now 5, and still displays those personality traits, but I still couldn't tell you what her IQ is. Why would anyone need to worry about that with such a young child?

[Anonymous]

16:18 again--of course I meant Mr. Spock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

f you have a truly exceptionally smart kid -- say, IQ in the 140's or above -- that kid probably will have intellectual abilities that are WAY out of sync with his/her emotional abilities. The kid may have a really hard time finding peers who will accept him or her and that he/she can relate to. High-IQ children often also have elevated levels of anxiety.

Yes, yes, and yes.

We are grappling with the anxiety right now. My child has a very difficult time relating to his peers, and they do not seem to like him very much. His social skills, ie, the 'emotional abilities' from above, are not too great. The rejection by most of the kids at school makes him understandably anxious, and he's just about given up on having friends. It kills me to write this.

You know who he relates to? Teenagers with a penchant for math and engineering. But it's an unrequited love because they are 16 and he is 8.

Asperger's. Have you checked him out?

[Anonymous]

Many of us know our child's IQ per testing for private schools or because other issues exhibited themselves. In our case, some anxiety, difficulty with peers and interests far above grade/age level that made it a challenge to parent and to figure out the best approach or school.

[Anonymous]

only if the parents are really stupid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My kid is a f*cking genius. You people are funny.

That's great, but my child is fuckinglier smarter than yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is 1 and clearly very bright, and she is constantly thinking circles around the other kids at day care-- her teachers adore her but she is much more high maintenance. More interactive, more curious, gets into more trouble. I could never sit her down with a toy and expect her to play with it-- she always has her own ideas. Play time is chase time for ME. I think it's definitely harder raising a bright child, but then again I have never raised any other kind.

So her thinking in not linear, you say? That's not a sign of being a genius. It's often associated with ADHD, especially since she can't seem to sit down to play with a toy.

You're in denial and must be one of the useless parents who can't handle their children.

[Anonymous]

This whole thread is a poster-child for why user logins make sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is 1 and clearly very bright, and she is constantly thinking circles around the other kids at day care-- her teachers adore her but she is much more high maintenance. More interactive, more curious, gets into more trouble. I could never sit her down with a toy and expect her to play with it-- she always has her own ideas. Play time is chase time for ME. I think it's definitely harder raising a bright child, but then again I have never raised any other kind.

This is just plain hilarious!!

[Anonymous]

It really depends on the parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another vote for factoring in many things in addition to intelligence. My sister and I were both in a gifted program. She's 5 years younger and always was a challenge to my parents. I was the good girl older child - good grades, stayed out of trouble (or knew how to avoid getting caught). My sister was constantly bored in school, so channeled her intellect and energy into poor choices. She was smart enough to do what ever she wanted in life, but lacked self-confidence and always chose to hang out with kids who were her not nearly as smart as she was. She is now a 30-something, unemployed addict who has fried way too many brain cells.

This is a real shame. Why do you think your younger sister turned out this way? And why was she so bored in school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another vote for factoring in many things in addition to intelligence. My sister and I were both in a gifted program. She's 5 years younger and always was a challenge to my parents. I was the good girl older child - good grades, stayed out of trouble (or knew how to avoid getting caught). My sister was constantly bored in school, so channeled her intellect and energy into poor choices. She was smart enough to do what ever she wanted in life, but lacked self-confidence and always chose to hang out with kids who were her not nearly as smart as she was. She is now a 30-something, unemployed addict who has fried way too many brain cells.

This is a real shame. Why do you think your younger sister turned out this way? And why was she so bored in school?

She probably went to public school.