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Gifted and talented

Talk to other parents about parenting a gifted child on this forum.

Original poster

so, if you have a clever little one and DON'T push him or her in the way they did on child genius....

68 replies

oops · 09/02/2007 22:08

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singersgirl · 09/02/2007 23:21

Oh, I have 2 boys who would do well in remedial football! Aloha, lots of things about your lovely-sounding DS remind me of my DS2, who was 5 in August, so is now in Y1. When we were in Greece in the summer he came running in excitedly to tell me that the word for 'No' in Greek was 'ox', because that was what the subtitles to his cartoon said. He loves spelling, but dislikes writing. He's not dyspraxic, but is physically inept (was told he was 'rubbish' by a bigger boy in after school sports club, which he hates anyway). And he has started adding punctuation to his sentences when he speaks.

DS1 at 8 is now desperate to be good at football...

frogs · 09/02/2007 23:22

Oh bink, .

I love the idea of your ds snowploughing. My ds would so love to go skiing, but financially not an option this year, sadly. Dino was muttering something about organising a meetup, but you're v. welcome to come to us too. I've emailed you -- let's sort something out for after half term.

NotAnOtter · 09/02/2007 23:22

its difficult to talk about this sort of thing
I have 5 children in two groups 14,12,10 4 and almost 1
For some reason the three big ones have all turned out to be particularly academic - top of their academic schools

I taught them to read and write before school and made an effort for their sats at 7 and 11...HOWEVER

I am much busier now than i was...I have neither the tme nor the energy

I am also more fun loving and relaxed than i was and also appreciative of how quickly childhood is gone
DC4 cannot read or write - has long flowing hair ( its a he) and attends a montessori nursey. He plays out in the snow in the dark,wears what he chooses and can sing frere Jacques in french.

I have learned that there is so much more to life and i do not for one minute believe he will be any less of an academic success than his siblings. i do believe he has experienced a broader and to my mind happier childhood.

Keep them babies

Original poster
oops · 09/02/2007 23:25

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Original poster
oops · 09/02/2007 23:31

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Original poster
oops · 09/02/2007 23:34

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Aloha · 09/02/2007 23:52

Yes to coming out to play, please!
Ds really admires Dino's boys.
he makes up languages rather than numbers, but it's a similar principle. I have liked this thread!

Original poster
oops · 09/02/2007 23:59

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themoon66 · 10/02/2007 00:08

Lovely to read this thread. Reminds me of my DS when he was little. He is now 15 and like a young professor. He has one friend on his wavelength. He has a wonderfully sophisticated sense of humour and gets on very well with adults better than his own age group.

I laughed when he took a book out of the school library ... 'Teach yourself modern Greek'. I checked inside to see when it was due back. The last person to take it out was in 1992!! No point in worrying that he is overdue taking it back!

themoon66 · 10/02/2007 00:10

So no... don't worry about pushing him. Just provide him with what he asks for as and when.

frogs · 10/02/2007 00:10

Aloha, am off for half term, but will CAT you when I get back.

Original poster
oops · 10/02/2007 00:20

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Celia2 · 10/02/2007 16:51

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nearlyfourbob · 10/02/2007 18:03

Try being a boy in NZ! I'm making the most of ds wanting to write stories and cello music at 3. Because in a couple of years it will all be rugby and cricket, and I will remember this time - when he chose stuff because he enjoys it.

hoxtonchick · 10/02/2007 18:14

i am at frogs' comment about ds. he would love to play football with all the lovely sounding boys on this thread.

Aloha · 10/02/2007 18:46

Thanks Frogs...MI has my email and so does Dino.

Today ds ran off to do 'French translation' which uses Google language tools to translate bits of English text that he types into another language, he usually does French but decided to try Arabic and came charging into the kitchen (where I, pushy mother, was drinking wine and gossiping with my friend) with a huge grin on his face, 'Mummy! I is a J shape in Arabic, come and see!' The precociousness of this remark was rather undermined by the fact that he was wearing a tiger suit at the time...

Blandmum · 10/02/2007 19:00

dd is very bright. We have lots of fun together, 99% of the time she is just your average kid. She gets to doss around, veg out in front of the TV. She does lots of after school activities, but that is her choice not mine.

She is very able, her understanding of science is at leasts 3-4 years ahead of her age, but we don't get wound up about it. She is 10 with a reading age of 14. But basically so what. I just want her to be a happy normal kid. I'll answer any questions she asks me, I'll provide her with chances to do the things she wants (she nagged me for 6 months before I let her start piano, she was already doing cello). But it has to be her choice not mine

singersgirl · 10/02/2007 19:34

Tube trips are always a riot with DS2 as he insists on reading everything in a shrill and penetrating voice. Today in the tunnel linking South Ken with the Science Museum we had: "Venus. A real work of art. Why is the goddess of love a work of art? Why is there a film about it?" "Oh, look, a book called 'How to kill your husband'. I hope you're not going to try to kill Daddy", "Madame Butterfly. Why is the woman holding the child sad? Why did the man have to leave her?". It took us such a long time to get down that tunnel.

He loves to read everything. During one car journey DS1 said tetchily "I was never like that at his age".

nikkie · 10/02/2007 21:11

Dd1 is a quizzer about everything! Wants constant spelling tests and her idea of fun is to do a crossword or sudoku , My dad is exactly the same though.She is on G&T particularly for Literacy but apparantly she is ahead in all the academic subjects, sports wise, she can't ride a bike without stablisers (she is 7 ,dd2 could at 3 1/2) she can just about skip cathc a ball etc but she is a good swimmer althoughshe seems to have reached a point where she needs to work at it and isn't as happy about that!

dd2 is a quizzer too and has a fantastic memory (seems to be photographic?) can remeber exactly where things are, find her way around a massive local area (likes to navigate when we go anywhere ) She appears to be able to do anything physical she sets her mind to but has problems with fine motor skills.She also has language/hearing problems but loves number type puzzles.

So anyone who saw us in passing would probably think I was a pushy mother but its them more than me

nikkie · 10/02/2007 21:14

That sounds like I amd showing off a bit sorry

I have encouraged dd1 into other stuff (swimming/rainbows etc) to develop interests away from the books so at least at some point in the week she isn't reading!

Enid · 10/02/2007 21:26

dd2 can read but can't ride a bike (she is 4)

do you think they are linked???

Enid · 10/02/2007 21:26

whereas dd1 is super sporty but, a, ahem, reluctant reader

hopefully dd3 will be brill at all (or dufferish at all who knows)

Enid · 10/02/2007 21:28

fecking hell aloha your little boy sounds soooooooooooo bright

it must be fun (challenging but fun)

Bink · 11/02/2007 11:05

I have suddenly realised that I might actually be able to organise something in the way of remedial football, with a proper coach who knows about dyspraxia ... It would probably be eg on a Sunday afternoon around Holland Park, target age range 6-9.

Would there really be any interest in this? ( - not looking for commitments, just interest).

Aloha · 11/02/2007 18:39

I'd be interested Bink - have very fond memories of Holland Park from when I lived in Notting Hill about ten years ago - sigh.

Enid, yes, thank you, I think he is bright and I think he's just lovely, but on the other hand he went to a party this afternoon, where he had a great time, but I cried a bit when I got back, because I could see all the easy ways the other boys relate to each other and heard all the other mothers arranging playdates for half terms because the boys wanted to meet up etc and ds is, well, different. He isn't one of the gang and he doesn't get invited and he isn't playing in the playground afterwards and sharing his interests and it makes me really, really sad sometimes
Just had a really big glass of wine to console myself.
Ds doesn't feel sad like thisthough, so I must pull myself together!