It's been nearly a week since Michael Jackson died, but stories are still being written about him.  I think my favorite one is the one by Heather Siladi. In her article Michael Jackson as a lesson about gifted children, Siladi says, "Although Michael's giftedness was more profound than most, his story is an excellent example of the hardships all of these children face."

The hardships she is referring to are those that parents of gifted children are familiar with: intense emotional and physical sensitivity, and asynchronous development. Siladi refers to things that Jackson said in the documentary Living with Michael Jackson that make it clear he was a highly gifted young boy.  For example, he said that when he was little, someone had called him a "forty-two-year-old midget."

We know how hard it is for our sensitive children when their classmates tease them and say horrible things about them.  Imagine that those slights and insults appeared in newspapers and on TV all over the world. And imagine them to be insults and slurs of a greater magnitude.  It is small wonder that Jackson tried to wall himself off from the rest of the world and create a childlike fantasy world into which he could retreat.

The ninth right in Del Siegle's Gifted Kids' Bill of Rights concerns choice. Siegle believes that gifted kids have the right to decide for themselves which of their areas of interests they want to pursue.  I agree with him.

Sometimes the adults in a gifted kid's life want to do the choosing. They may see that the child has exceptional abilities and talents in more than one area, math and music, for example. The child wants to pursue music, but the parents think the child should pursue science, perhaps medicine. The reasoning is sound for the parents, who want the best for their child. They worry that a career in music won't allow their child to make "good money." It could be the opposite, though. It could be that one of the parents always wanted a career in music, but went into medicine and now wants to see the child follow the path the parent left behind.

Of course a child's talents may lie in something other than music and math.  Those were just examples.  The point is that children should have some right to choose which of their talents and abilities they would like to pursue. Gifted kids with talents and abilities in a wide variety of areas may need help finding the right career, but they should be allowed to decide which path they want to pursue.

I was very sad to hear the news that Michael Jackson had died. It hardly seems possible. I remember Michael as the precocious little performer who sang with his brothers in the Jackson Five. I watched him grow up and change from that precocious little performer to the King of Pop.

It was clear that Michael Jackson was a gifted musician, but that's a limited definition of gifted. Michael certainly had incredible talent. And he was creative and original. Like many gifted people, he marched to his own drummer. Sadly, he wasn't always able to withstand the kind of attention and criticism that is aimed at those who choose to be unique. It had to be even harder for Michael since the criticism and attention was magnified by his monumental popularity.

I remember his song "Leave Me Alone." The lyrics indicate that it's addressed to a woman, but the video seems to indicate that he was addressing all the people who relentlessly hounded him. I remember watching that video and thinking, "Good for you, Michael. You tell 'em!"

Parents of highly sensitive gifted children should be able to sympathize with Jackson. For those kids, emotional molehills really are emotional mountains. Every hurt and slight is exaggerated. And as we all know, the love just doesn't cancel out the hurt.

Now Michael no longer has to hear all the criticism. May he finally rest in peace.

More about the deaths of Michael Jackson:
King of Pop Michael Jackson Dead at 50
Icons of My Tween Years Are Gone
The Flaws of Icons

American Independence Day will be here in less than two weeks.  With the events that are occurring in Iran, it might be a good time to help our children understand the meaning of our Independence Day and the events that led to it. Many online resources are available for children to help them learn all about the Fourth of July and why we celebrate it.
The American Revolution
(This site has a brief outline of the Revolutionary War.  It also has numerous links to additional information on events, people, and the documents related to the Revolution.)
The American Revolution
(This one has lesson plans and quizzes, so it's a good one for homeschoolers.)
A Timeline of the Revolutionary War
(A year-by-year account of events that includes links for brief explanations.)