where wildly different is perfectly normal
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

A has been banned from using any kind of remote control for the forseeable future. He erased every.single.thing on our Tivo, trying to make room for more Magic School Bus shows. That would include the entire last season of The West Wing, a single episode of which we haven’t seen, the new series 30 Days by Morgan Spurlock (author of SuperSize Me), a serious collection of movies we hadn’t watched yet, and, oh yes, let’s not forget the showing of “Parenting with Love and Logic” on PBS. Yes, that would be irony. This would be the same child who FUBARed my laptop/wireless connection/internet so badly last week that I’m still dealing with the repercussions. A knows just enough to be dangerous.

I’m on a gifted child email list. I vaguely remember a story one mom shared about her son. She had told him he couldn’t get on her computer to do something or another. He snuck on, Googled “how to get around parental controls”, got around her passwords and things, and locked her off her computer. I think the kid was 6 or 7. Not my kid, but the kind of kid I have.

I haven’t had comments directed towards me, but I have friends (one in particular) who think that “giftedness” is overrated. That every parent thinks his/her child is gifted. That schools use gifted children as a way to boost CSAP scores. That “gifted” means “really really smart.” I wish that was the case. But oftentimes “gifted” has its own downside. I know parents want to have a smart child, but how about one who is so curious he doesn’t stop talking and asking questions? How about a child about to start kindergarten who can already read chapter books unassisted, who reads at likely the 3rd or 4th grade level and is scaring his parents because they worry the school won’t be able to accomodate him? How about the young 2 year old who already knows half the alphabet and most of the numbers from 1-10, can sing on pitch and is halfway potty trained? How about sensitivities so acute that the parents never know what might cause a meltdown or why? How about a personality so intense that the parents have felt like runners on an out of control treadmill, just trying to keep up and get ahead? A kid who doesn’t sleep, because there is so much to learn, to absorb, because he doesn’t know what kind of dreams he’ll have, good or bad, and how to awaken from them? Gifted is more than just really really smart. I think I’ve posted on this before, but it’s close to my heart. My sons are bright, no doubt about that. A has been tentatively tested as gifted, and we suspect J is right up there with him. I mentioned to the pediatrician that J knew “X” letters and numbers and he was shocked. But there’s also another side to giftedness. I’ve had, and still have, extremely gifted students. They learn differently from other kids, and also from each other. They have struggles a lot of kids don’t have and they’re often not addressed or addressed properly. How could you have a problem with your kid? He’s so smart, so gifted! Uh-huh.

Well. Don’t know where all that came from and I’m sure it was pretty rambling. I think I’m going to take my quiet afternoon and go play in my scrap room.

4 Comments

  1. the womom

    wow. He sounds pretty amazing to me.
    I hear you on the “every parent thinks their child is gifted” thing. They probably all do to some extent.

    But it sounds like your child *really* is. You have your work cut out for you.

    yuck on losing all the TIVO. We just cancelled tv, but have a bunch saved that we’re going to go through. LOL on the “Love and Logic”–I saw it. You’re not missing much. 🙂
    xoxo

  2. cursingmama

    It starts with the remote….just wait until you leave them alone for 5 minutes and find something mechanical dissassembeled – its. not. good.
    However – having a child that can make the clock on the dvd/vcr/stove/microwave not blink 12:00 is a good thing 😉

  3. bridget

    After reading this post, I let out a huge sigh. It’s as if you read my mind and were writing about my kid. I am so thankful that there is someone on the face of this planet that understands. I don’t feel so alone now. Thank you. My son is 3.5 and we have not had him tested yet, but everything you mentioned, he does including reading chapter books and doing algebra, and not sleeping, and being really sensitive, and, and, and…..I’m exhausted, and he’s only 3.

Whaddya think?

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