I believe giftedness is wiring, the way a person observes, interprets, and responds to the world around them. They barrel out of the womb wired however they are and that’s that. We’ll have gifted individuals at the end of days, when the education system as we know it is kaput and we’re on the run from radioactive zombie alpacas. And if I’d known all this nearly 17 years ago when my oldest son roared into the world, I probably would have handled him and his early years so much better.
We didn’t know he was 2e wired when he was born, didn’t know any of that until he was older, but when I go back to connect the dots I see so many signs.
At two weeks old he could hold his head up and peer around.
People constantly commented on how alert he was, that he was deeply soaking in the world.
He insisted on scientifically accurate bedtime stories. No joke, I had to do research to tell him stories.
Rarely asked “why,” it was always “how’s it work?”
If curiosity killed the cat, it’s only because a gifted toddler wasn’t around. He once got his head stuck in the banister rails at a friend’s house; thought we would need to call the fire department to get him out. I also contemplated hiring him out to newer parents, to check the strength of their childproofing.
For his fourth birthday he got one of those large floor puzzles with 15-20 pieces. He had that sucker assembled in under 15 minutes…with the image facing the floor.
Books, books, and more books.
Sensory overload is real, yo. And sensory overload in a young gifted kid is painful for anyone around.
After a tearful conversation with a friend whose slightly older son was kinda like mine, my friend gently suggested giftedness. Much research and evaluation later, we had a tentative diagnosis of twice-exceptionality, and that was the start of the fire-walk that is 2e parenting.
So, my dear young parents, keep your eyes open. If you have a precocious youngun, it’s may not be just your imagination. Your kid absolutely will show signs of quirkiness and giftedness long before they begin their educational journey.
And if you’re at the very beginning of this G2e parenting fire-walk? Welcome, take a load off, and here, have some wine.
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Today’s post is part of the GHF March Blog Hop. Go check out some of the other participants!
