Written by: Ginny (Ginza)

Does your child have a memory like an elephant? Do they excel at reading or math? How about cognitive skills, or physical sports? Do they just seem to have a “natural talent” for things? Your child may be gifted.

Not all gifted children have the same gifts. Some may be gifted in sports and not do so well in certain academics. One may be able to read at a college level and not be able to hit a ball. Others may have a musical gift, whereas another child may excel in art. One may grow up to be Pavlov and another Picasso. Although they may not always share the same gifts, some do. They all share a lot of the same characteristics. They do not, however, need to have them all to be considered a gifted child.

Research has shown that giftedness can be recognized as early as infancy. Gifted infants are extremely alert and always looking around, absorbing the world, learning as they watch. These babies tend to sleep less than most babies. They usually need to be stimulated while awake, although this may not always be the case. Some gifted infants may be just as content to look around. They mimic sounds earlier and are exceptionally sensitive to sounds, smells, textures, and will even cry vigorously in response to these if they are too strong.

The most recognized trait in gifted infants is extreme alertness. The hardest trait to recognize is the sensitivities. Some babies seem to cry for no reason, when they may actually be crying in response to a sensitivity they have that's unkown to the adults around them. A lot of times you may never know and you are left perplexed as to why your baby is crying. Sometimes you may even mistake it for colic.

The toddler years are where you will really start to see the signs. As infants, these toddlers were very alert. They still tend to sleep less than most of their peers. They will frequently reach “milestones”, such as walking and talking, earlier than average. Some may speak later, but begin speaking in complete sentences. (They have been quietly listening all along.) They have a strong desire to explore, investigate, and master their surroundings. They tend to be very active, but with a purpose. Some toddlers show an intense interest in numbers or letters. It is not uncommon for a gifted toddler to teach him or herself how to read or do simple math by the age of three. They will get bored easily and seek out new and interesting challenges.

As these toddlers grow into their pre-school years they are more observant, curious, will ask a lot of questions. They have intense interests, excellent memories, long attention spans, excellent reasoning skills, well developed powers of abstraction, conceptualization and syntheses. They see relationships in ideas, objects or facts, exhibit fluent, flexible, elaborate and original thinking. They have excellent problem solving abilities, learn quickly with less practice and repetition. They have a very vivid imagination as well as a well-developed sense of humor. A gifted child does not have to have all of these traits to be gifted, although they will usually have more than two. Many children who are gifted have “super sensitivities”. They tend to be overly sensitive or emotional. They may get their feelings hurt easily or feel extreme guilt if they have hurt someone else’s feelings. Some gifted children are even bothered by things as small as odors, loud noises, or even if the shoestrings on their shoes do not look "right". Some things just have to be perfect. It’s important to know that not all gifted children have these sensitivities.

Parenting a gifted child can be a bit of a challenge. They are very much like their peers. They just think “outside of the box”. They have a “black & white” mentality. There is no “gray” area for them.

My son is 5 years old and in kindergarten. His teacher, and my husband and I, agree that he shows signs of giftedness. He will most likely be tested for giftedness when he enters the 2nd grade. He excels at reading and math. He read his first word at two-years-old. That word was “pizza”. He is a very bright child and he is very well aware of it. Some days it can be very intimidating knowing that I gave birth to a child that will one day be smarter than me, if he’s not already.

Cited source. About.com: Gifted children

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By Momto2

By mid-February, hints of brighter days start popping up in malls across the country. You see a pink skirt here, a yellow tee there. By month's end, there's a full fledged garden of clothing blooming in stores everywhere.

My winter rut is often broken with a quick purchase of flowery sandals and a brightly coloured tank top. Recently, I decided that it was time to school my daughter in the fine art of retail therapy. Another dark and dreary week day afternoon fell upon us, so we hit the mall with a vigor usually reserved for birthday parties and gymboree.

We ventured into our first store where my three year old daughter fingered the first sundress she saw like a seasoned pro. She admired the fabric, but declared it, "not purple enough" for her liking, so we moved on. From store to store we travelled, each one containing a little treasure to add to her burdgeoning wardrobe. By the afternoon's end, our arms were full and our feet were tired. We returned home in eager anticipation of a treat and a fashion show.

After tags were removed and items unwrapped, my little lady disappeared into her room with the stern warning, "NO PEEKING!" Minutes later, she was ready. Dressed in head to toe purple, she declared herself a "fashion girl" and marched down the hall with a kind of confidence I can only dream of. Her lilac tights complimented last year's grape-hued shorts and her brand new maroon t-shirt draped elegently over a ketchup-stained purple cardigan. On her head, she sported a lavender Easter bonnet, decorated with Dora and Barbie stickers (it's the details that make all the difference, you know.) Dainty pink Tinkerbell socks covered both her hands, recalling her ire at the lack of size 3 evening gloves. Her feet were covered in a soft purple and pink pair of gum boots, complete with a scratch and sniff cookie sticker.

With her sock clad hands on her hips, my darling daughter pouted, preened and pranced for the camera as I eagerly snapped shot after shot, aware that a day will come when she won't be seen in public with me, let alone let me shop with her. I shook away the image of a petulant teenager rolling her eyes as I offer to take her out, and instead, wrapped my arms around the little girl standing in front of me and leaned in for a kiss. "I don't think so, Mom," she said, pushing me away and pointing to her lipsmacker-covered mouth, "I have lips on." I sighed, smiled and reviewed my fresh batch of pictures.

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Written by Sherry (gijainee1)

I am a mother of a pre-teen. I have an eighteen-year-old trapped inside an eleven-year-old's body. It gets so crazy sometimes. Everyone is all about telling us how to deal with our children. They all want to put in their two cents worth. They all want to tell me that my daughter has attitude and doesn't want to listen to anyone. Sometimes I would like to just ask, "Who the heck do you think you are," to think they can tell me what to do? Maybe, just maybe, I want my daughter to be this way. Oh, wouldn't that make some old ladies faint?

My daughter, Marissa, can be such a sweet girl. She gets excellent grades, participates in sports and does her homework without being told. She keeps her room spotless and she will help clean the house. Since she does all this why do I complain? It's because she has the attitude that she knows everything about everything. I get the classic rolling-of-the-eyes if I try and tell her anything. Do you have one like this? It can be so irritating sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I am glad she can do her own hair, bathe herself and doesn't wear a diaper anymore.

I am proud though. She is independent, can make decisions for herself and she can stand up for what she believes in. She can take care of herself. I will admit it makes me feel useful when she does have to ask for my help though.

What am I getting at with of all my rambling? The point is simply this: we should not feel irritated that our children seem to know everything and want to do everything on their own. We should feel proud of what we have done. We should feel proud that we have instilled qualities in them: courage, independence, knowledge, and forthrightness, to name a few. We should take heart knowing we have done exactly what we were suppose to do. Besides, if they never grew wings to fly we could never pass on the curse. You know, the I-hope-you-have-10-just-like-you curse. Hopefully we can pass on enough knowledge so that our grandchildren turn out just as good as our children did.

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