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| You Can Tell You're the Parent of a Gifted Child When: |
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| Author : contributed by Keisa Kay
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| Created : 21 Feb 2002
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| Last Revision : 21 Feb 2002
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people stop you in the street to compliment your child's published writing, but his teacher complains because he uses big words and doesn't write five-paragraph essays like the other kids;
your seven-year-old decides to get a veterinary degree so that she won't have to pay for medical care for the 100 golden palominos she plans to have on her all-vegetarian horse ranch;
your child becomes a vegetarian all on her own because she doesn't want animals to die;
you finish reading THE COLOR OF WATER one day and your eight-year-old finishes it the next day, then discourses on the dangers of generalizing about people based on race, religion, or other group affiliation;
your child wants to make a bomb just like Richard Feynman, and begins amassing materials;
School Board members hide in doorways when they see you walking down the sidewalk;
your fingers ache from gripping your pen during the parent/teacher meeting;
nobody has to tell you that "Mothers from Hell" is not a rock band, it's a way of life;
your son creates a painting that symbolically delineates the emotional impact of his father's brain surgery;
your hands ache from gripping the steering wheel as you drive two hours every day to get your child to school; OR your brain aches as you try to keep up with home-schooling; OR your wallet aches from private school fees; OR your head aches from listening to administrators tell you why $6 million is needed for a new building, but nothing is needed for gifted education inside that building;
AND (last but not least)
when your three-year-old son wins a ten-foot-tall Christmas stocking, he wants to take three toys out for himself and give the rest to the local children's shelter so they'll have new toys at the holidays, too. And that's exactly what he does.
Additions to this list are welcome and may be sent
to the Gifted Development Center Web Mistress.
aAdditional Parent contributions
you have an 18-month old who has an imaginary friend who lives in their closet and she can tell you exactly what they look like, eat, play with, and can keep her entertained for hours on end.
your 4 year old wants to run away, but has to ask for a ride to her destination due to the amount of belongings that are required to go with her. She just knows that she must have at least one change of clothes, favorite blanket, coat for when it gets cold and her nebulizer with all of her asthma medications.
your 8 year old son wants to buy a snake but insists on joining the local herpatology association because he only wants to deal with breeders and not purchase one from a pet store.
when your 6 year old gets out of bed late at night, and pours herself a chocolate milk drink, then proceeds to announce that she has a problem. "Mum, I have a problem, I think I might be developing an allergy to food colouring." And the same child writes an amazing piece of writing about how the solar system is special to her as it holds all her pets and Uncle Doug. Then goes on to describe relationships between quite unrelated ideas. My wee girl is so special to me.
your 2 year old can tell you which way to turn at each intersection on the way to church, the library, etc.
your 2 year old uses 'thank you,' 'please,' 'you're welcome,' and 'excuse me' consistently and appropriately.
your not quite 2 1/2 year old daughter imagines that the world is upside down, and the reason it's upside down is that God is standing on his head.
your five-year-old asks you to quiz him on math and then tells you '130, ask me something Harder!' when you ask him what 110 + 20 equals.
your five-year-old likes to write out problems for FUN, like 810 + 30 + 2 + 2 = 844, and doesn't ask you if it's right.
you take one of your five-year-olds books to school, and the teacher checks and finds that the book is labeled "RL 4.5", and she points out that this really does mean Reading Level is half way through fourth grade.
your 4-month-old will intently study books for long periods of time and knows how to turn the pages all by herself.
you admonish your four year old after s/he defies getting ready for preschool and you hastily utter 'don't start with me today' and s/he replies without skipping a beat 'OK, I'll start with Daddy and end with you'.
you keep your dictionary on hand at all times to look up what your 5 year old tells you.
your 4 year old follows you around wanting to do more long division!
your 4 year old tells his father "Let's sneak up on mommy, and push her past the center of her insecurities!"
you tell your 4 year old that he WILL go to bed, it's not a choice and he replies "Fine, you can make me go to bed, but you can't make me fall asleep. That's MY choice."
you walk into the room to find your six year old reading the family first aid book while also watching The Evening News.
you're two-year-old asks you what it means to be alive and after you explain the lifecycle of bugs he cries and screams, "NO MOMMY! What does it MEAN to be ALIVE!?"
your 4 year old chooses a "Map of the United States" puzzle over a Dinosaur one.
you give your 6 year old a box of candy hearts with messages and he sorts them color, then again by sayings and then proceeds to tell you new sayings that would be appropriate for them! (I am not sure those hearts ever got eaten that day)
you drive by a church and your soon to be three year old asks who was God's Mommy and Daddy and did they live in a church since a church is God's house?
when you open your checkbook to find the current bank statement already reconciled with the balance corrected in crayon.
when your three year old is asked what they want to be when they grow up, they answer..."God", that way I can do everything.
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