Parents of “gifted” kids are so annoying!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just to dispute previous comments, I have a gifted kid in 4th grade (136 WISC plus every teacher except Kinder has commented on his abilities) and he gets bored ALL THE TIME.

It has gotten very OT, hasn't it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have found that the people who talk the most about how smart their kids actually often don't know whether or not their child truly qualifies as gifted, which is usually defined as an IQ 130 or higher (top 2% of the population). These people sometimes find out that their kid is not in fact gifted and is just smart, and have a hard time dealing with it.

IQ tests are bunk. This is not 1930.

Agree. Yet they are still used.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the issue is just that the kid is gifted, the child should be able to supplement with personal work. Most likely the child is neurodiverse, and the parent's behavior indicates it might be hereditary.

Yeah, I thought my kids were gifted readers when they were actually hyperlexic. If you want to get under the mom's skin, you want to imply that the kid isn't actually gifted might need to be tested for something. "Is she bored or having social difficulties? Have you thought about looking into resources like a social skills class?"
The one that gets me is when these individuals refer to themselves as "gifted parents" - as in "I was talking with another gifted parent the other day." No, no, don't talk to me. I'm a SPED parent. I'm not gifted. I need special resources because I'm a little slow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just to dispute previous comments, I have a gifted kid in 4th grade (136 WISC plus every teacher except Kinder has commented on his abilities) and he gets bored ALL THE TIME.

Then your kid is the least imaginative “gifted” kid on the planet. Sounds more like a kid who was hothoused to do well on the WISC to get into a school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are no more annoying than the sports parents who are convinced their kid is going pro. Also, as a parent of a 2E kid, gifted isn't all that. Some of them have poor executive functioning skills and struggle academically compared to their high-achieving but less "gifted" peers. The kids with really strong focus, working memory, impulse control, and executive functioning skills who are ambitious and hardworking are the ones to watch in the future.

Yep! All this! Also a peen of a 2e kid, who struggles with executive functioning

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the issue is just that the kid is gifted, the child should be able to supplement with personal work. Most likely the child is neurodiverse, and the parent's behavior indicates it might be hereditary.

Yeah, I thought my kids were gifted readers when they were actually hyperlexic. If you want to get under the mom's skin, you want to imply that the kid isn't actually gifted might need to be tested for something. "Is she bored or having social difficulties? Have you thought about looking into resources like a social skills class?"
The one that gets me is when these individuals refer to themselves as "gifted parents" - as in "I was talking with another gifted parent the other day." No, no, don't talk to me. I'm a SPED parent. I'm not gifted. I need special resources because I'm a little slow.

Best answer in this thread!!

Suggest that her kid has ADHD if they’re bored or has a behavioral problem. You can follow it up with - gifted kids are usually occupied in their own minds, so it’s probably something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the issue is just that the kid is gifted, the child should be able to supplement with personal work. Most likely the child is neurodiverse, and the parent's behavior indicates it might be hereditary.

I think you are correct! The child does not seem neurodiverse but I think the mother perhaps is. Does that mean I should give the mother a break?

Yes you idiot

[Anonymous]

A writer and therapist named Lindsey Mackereth posits that “giftedness” is actually a form of neurodivergence, and as a former gifted kid with a gifted child it resonated with me. It’s different brain wiring that comes with its advantages and disadvantages. It’s not the same as being a good student or being able to accomplish things, which are what matters.

[Anonymous]

This is like a thread full of people who swear their seven year old is going to the NBA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A writer and therapist named Lindsey Mackereth posits that “giftedness” is actually a form of neurodivergence, and as a former gifted kid with a gifted child it resonated with me. It’s different brain wiring that comes with its advantages and disadvantages. It’s not the same as being a good student or being able to accomplish things, which are what matters.

Snort

[Anonymous]

OP I agree she’s a jerk. She’s probably putting a lot of her identity into this whole parent of a gifted child basket and it may not be for the best.

But I find this discussion so annoying. When we were in school, there were three levels for every subject. Now there is ONE for everyone from children who do not speak English to the most highly gifted kids who come into school reading because they went to fancy preschool. I am the parent of a kid who is definitely gifted (you can fight me, I don’t care) who constantly gets in trouble for exactly the things that everyone in this thread is saying gifted kids do to avoid boredom - the reading, the drawing, the trying to get homework done in class. They are literally supposed to sit there and just wait in rapt attention to the teacher while they go through a basic concept that they learned years ago over and over, taking breaks to deal with behavior issues. My kid got in trouble today for trying to do their last problem set while the teacher was talking - everyone had to do it for extra homework because the class didn’t get to it.

It is true this child is never bored at home or with friends but yes they are bored the majority of every day in school or they are being yelled at to stop reading and do full body listening. I would never complain about this to someone with a similar aged child but yes it is not great. School is not designed to gifted kids anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On Da Vinci’s “to do list” was to draw the inside of a woodpecker’s beak. This is an example of a gifted person never being bored!

Why do parents worry so much about their “gifted” child? If child is self-motivated, the child will find a way to utilize his/her “giftedness”.

Da Vinci was a genius. There’s a difference between genius and being gifted.

[Anonymous]

does this "issue" really require crowd-sourced advice from strangers? you can slow fade, ignore, disengage, and flat out avoid people whose conversation is boring. their kvetching shouldn't bother you so much unless it's hitting a nerve, like for example, your own kids are struggling.

[Anonymous]

I used to complain that school was boring for my child. But I’m sure it was also boring for some of the other kids! In younger grades when they don’t differentiate, it’s annoying.
But referring to one’s own child as “gifted” is super obnoxious.

[Anonymous]

I was gifted. I skipped a full grade. I took advanced classes. I started taking the SAT in 7th grade, and outscored my older sibling. I had a nearly perfect score on all standardized tests. Academics were and are super easy for me.

I also struggled socially and was an odd kid. I spent a lot of time reading by myself. I am now a very average adult. I have a good job and I do well at a lot of things. I am smart. I still enjoy reading. I think ive done well professionally because i am logical and have a high processing speed and pick up new tasks quickly. But being gifted meant very little in my life overall.

Start telling this other parent that you are sorry their kid carries this burden, it sounds difficult and too bad they are not more nornal! Gifted means next to nothing outside of elementary school academics.