Eg start instruments or sports very early, can afford top tuition, often a parent has the skills to teach the dc at home, they have the time & money to travel around the country for events.. Parents oversee practice is done at home.. Whereas they may well be quite medicore compared to a child with raw talent whose parents just cannot afford what it takes..
I just feel for music, sports or academics money & an affluent background is part of the parcel for the majority of "gifted kids"..
AIBU?
Aibu to think most "gifted" children come from well off, affluent families?
Blueballoons1 · 25/03/2024 10:57
Am I being unreasonable?
914 votes. Final results.
POLLdownsizedilemma · 25/03/2024 11:02
My brother and I were gifted children academically and so are my DC and my DNephews/Nieces. None of us has ever had a 'gifted' label but academics came very easily and we have all done/are doing very well in school/university. This wasn't about money per se, none of us grew up in a particularly affluent household, it was more about growing up in an environment where critical thinking/discussion was highly valued from an early age and intellectual independence was highly prized. So I do agree with you that parental input is extremely important.
BTW, I think being 'gifted' is a real mixed blessing and can create a lot of difficulty socially and emotionally.
Chipsweep · 25/03/2024 11:06
Depends what they are gifted in. Music and sport yes progressing to the top tiers requires money, and undoubtedly children who are malnourished aren’t able to develop to their full intellectual potential. But being gifted at something like maths or chess often seems pretty random and not connected to family background.
PTSDBarbiegirl · 25/03/2024 11:06
IME the most genuinely gifted children haven't come from privileged backgrounds. It's true to say though that aspirational parents are most likely to push children and then self describe as 'gifted'. I have met very few genuinely gifted children, out of 1000's I've worked with and they are now, an incredible well known artist, successful musician, high achieving engineer, scientist, architect, Google exec and writer. Every single one is neurodiverse and had creative, open minded supportive parents but not privileged.
Overtheatlantic · 25/03/2024 11:07
My husband went to a bog standard comprehensive school in south Wales and was gifted to the extent that he taught advanced maths to several classmates at the back of the class room. He didn’t have private tutors or rich parents. He was truly gifted.
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Blueballoons1 · 25/03/2024 11:10
Yes but with chess & maths the top kids in the bunch will still have money, time & resources pumped into them which will increase the advantages they had naturally..
Eg the chess kid may be brought all around the country & to Europe for tournaments.. The maths kid may get extra tutoring & extra support in school. May attend maths olimpiades which are costly to travel to.
At the end of the day to reach the top money is essential.
Chipsweep · 25/03/2024 11:06
Depends what they are gifted in. Music and sport yes progressing to the top tiers requires money, and undoubtedly children who are malnourished aren’t able to develop to their full intellectual potential. But being gifted at something like maths or chess often seems pretty random and not connected to family background.
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