The number one question I get from parents is some version of "Is my child gifted?" No matter how I try to answer the question, it never seems to give parents any confidence. More often than not, they still question their own assessment of their child.
I totally understand what that's like. It's exactly how I was with my son. I bet I asked everyone I knew at least 4 times each if they thought my son was gifted -- asking each time in some different way. I knew what I saw in my son and I knew he was different from many of the other kids. But then he wasn't a little Mozart or a little Einstein. He wasn't composing music or writing books at age 4, so he couldn't really be gifted, right?
Many of us think of profoundly gifted children when we think of gifted kids, so when our kids aren't ready for high school when they're 6, they can't be gifted. I know...that's an exaggeration, but it makes my point.
Another reason for our self-doubt is that giftedness runs in families since there is a genetic component to it. That means that the abilities of our children look "normal" to us. After all, it's what we see with our siblings, our cousins, our nephews and nieces, uncles, and aunts. If our child is "normal," how can she be gifted?
Still, when you see your child picking up information with ease - and remembering it, when you hear your child ponder issues worthy of thoughtful adults, when your preschooler adds double digit numbers in her head, or when you see your child pick up reading on his own, you can't help but suspect that this is something other than "normal" childhood behavior and abilities.
So you keep vacillating between thinking your child is gifted and thinking that he can't be. How can you be sure your child is gifted? The best way is to learn all you can about giftedness. But remember this as you learn about giftedness and your child: knowing whether or not your child is gifted doesn't change who he is and isn't - or shouldn't - change your opinion of your child or your love for him.
I totally understand what that's like. It's exactly how I was with my son. I bet I asked everyone I knew at least 4 times each if they thought my son was gifted -- asking each time in some different way. I knew what I saw in my son and I knew he was different from many of the other kids. But then he wasn't a little Mozart or a little Einstein. He wasn't composing music or writing books at age 4, so he couldn't really be gifted, right?
Many of us think of profoundly gifted children when we think of gifted kids, so when our kids aren't ready for high school when they're 6, they can't be gifted. I know...that's an exaggeration, but it makes my point.
Another reason for our self-doubt is that giftedness runs in families since there is a genetic component to it. That means that the abilities of our children look "normal" to us. After all, it's what we see with our siblings, our cousins, our nephews and nieces, uncles, and aunts. If our child is "normal," how can she be gifted?
Still, when you see your child picking up information with ease - and remembering it, when you hear your child ponder issues worthy of thoughtful adults, when your preschooler adds double digit numbers in her head, or when you see your child pick up reading on his own, you can't help but suspect that this is something other than "normal" childhood behavior and abilities.
So you keep vacillating between thinking your child is gifted and thinking that he can't be. How can you be sure your child is gifted? The best way is to learn all you can about giftedness. But remember this as you learn about giftedness and your child: knowing whether or not your child is gifted doesn't change who he is and isn't - or shouldn't - change your opinion of your child or your love for him.
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