Do you ever wonder what it's like to have a normal child?

[RoboJesus]

I always imagined having a normal child and I've been thinking a lot about it lately. Having a gifted child definitely changes things. Obviously I love my child perfectly as they are though. Does anyone get what I mean?

Not this again 🙄

Oh that's interesting, the different perspectives.

I always imagined having a normal child and I've been thinking a lot about it lately. Having a gifted child definitely changes things

Do you tilt your head when you think these things, OP?

Oh that's interesting, the different perspectives

Were you expecting just the one?

As a teacher, I think one of the worst initiatives of the last few years has been the Gifted and Talented program. In the same way that Parents would not like their child labelled 'below target' as it defines them in a skewed and unhealthy way, the G&T labelling does the same- hence lots of hard work with our uni age students about how to fail, how to be resilient etc. One of them told me that she'd never failed anything- we had to work hard with her to prepare her for when it happens.

Op’s child is a toddler. It’s unclear who applied the label, but it certainly wasn’t an educational establishment.

OP, on this board I think you really need to provide your definition of G&T. Is it the UK skimming off the 10% (which could include some very average children) or are you referring to the international G&T, IQ140+ with all the quirks that go along with that kind of intelligence in a child? A lot of people don’t understand the latter hence all the nastiness.

I've got two kids, both as different as chalk and cheese. There is no 'normal'

The eldest can fit a whole boiled egg in his mouth, and the youngest can lick his own nostril though, so perhaps mine are gifted too, so I just don't know

OP. No one cares about your gifted child. Sorry to be so blunt. Most parents think their own children are amazingly wonderful even if they're " normal".

We think our baby is going to lift her head sooner than most newborns. As soon as she does we're applying for one of these badges.

The different perspectives from mother v sibling.

@Iwasjustabouttosaythat I didn't realise there was a big difference between national and international standard. I mean the latter. I will never understand the prejudice on here, it certainly doesn't help.

Personally, I wouldn't say the dividing line was between "gifted" and "not-gifted", I'd say it was probably between "struggles socially" and "does not struggle socially".

My db was very obviously gifted. So was my nephew. Top marks in everything, composed and played their own music, db represented his county at his sport, dn is just off to one of the top conservatoires in the world, having had an equal choice of doing STEM subjects at a prestigious university. Db is a successful academic.

But they were both very ordinary children: happy, giggly, fitted in well wherever they went, db was one of four and didn't seem the odd one out in any way.

On the other hand, I have seen many examples of the quirks commonly associated with gifted children in children who turned out (once they got to university) not to be particularly gifted academically.

Could you explain, OP, what makes your experience so different that you have to ask yourself what it would be like to have a more "normal" one?

OP, I find this list useful - it also has a list of differences between gifted and bright children: www.supernanny.co.uk/AMP/Advice/-/Health-and-Development/-/4-to-13-years/Characteristics-of-Gifted-Children-.aspx

You’ll fund much more info on American sites.

Find.

OP. No one cares about your gifted child.

If you don’t care then what on Earth are you doing on the G&T board? It’s a place specifically to discuss G&T children. It’s not that hard to figure out is it?

I personally find truly gifted children fascinating. OP, there are always anti-intellectuals with tall poppy syndrome on these boards. I suggest you get a thick skin or look at some other forums for support. There are some great people on here but you need to learn to ignore a lot of them to get to the useful information.

I think why posters object to this thread in particular is that the OP has form for wafting on to tell us how gifted her DC is and then waiting for rapturous adulation and applause without engaging with any of the perfectly understandable questions about how this manifests itself, etc.

There’s also this implication that “normal” children are somehow lesser beings

That’s it, unfortunately. All op has disclosed so far is that the child is a “tot” (so, under 2? who knows?), and is profoundly gifted, which seems to be a term she’s coined herself.
What she actually wants from these threads is anybody’s guess.

I think sometimes people don’t want to go into specifics about their child’s giftedness on here because as soon as they do it will be a bunch of people tearing them to shreds, saying how any child could do it or it won’t last or the best (and most common), “I just let my child be a child”, as though she’s never let him venture two feet from a book.

All children are unique and special in their own way.

Academically, my dd is working a good few years ahead of her peers, but in art/PE, I'd say she is about average. I believe she is entirely "normal". I would never want her to feel that her intelligence makes her some kind of freak.

Fortunately, my dd has excellent social skills and she has loads of friends. I am aware that some children - both "gifted" and otherwise - really struggle in this area, and I understand that this must be very hard for parents to watch.

I think sometimes people don’t want to go into specifics about their child’s giftedness on here because as soon as they do it will be a bunch of people tearing them to shreds, saying how any child could do it or it won’t last or the best (and most common), “I just let my child be a child”, as though she’s never let him venture two feet from a book.

Or perhaps because it might just demonstrate that the child isn't quite as exceptional as the parent might think?

Much easier to insist that the child is profoundly gifted and refuse to give any details, as that then shuts down any debate. It also makes it much harder for anyone to actually post anything helpful in the way of advice, but perhaps that doesn't really matter because the main purpose of the thread isn't actually to get advice or support at all - it is just to announce to the world how exceptionally clever the OP's child really is.

I prefer the term able and talented and I worked within the higher education sector helping to provide workshops for mathematically able students. I agree with an earlier poster that labelling a primary school child as gifted is an misnomer. They are no more gifted than a child who has a musical ear or one who has good coordination or who reads a lot. All kids are normal and unique. Often parents with a "gifted and talented" child seem to think their kids are superior but in almost all cases they plateau later on while they develop other skills.

Sometimes these. Kids are not even assessed correctly. Who determines the benchmarks? They may just be better at one particular thing than their peers at any given time. OP I don't think you would find it any different parenting a "normal" child (horrible description btw) except you may not feel the need to come across as so smug.

Much easier to insist that the child is profoundly gifted and refuse to give any details, as that then shuts down any debate.

But that’s exactly the problem: we’re not here to debate whether her child is gifted. She is clearly looking for support from other parents of gifted children. Not “bright” children, not “very happy” children, just gifted children as in IQ140+. This brings with it issues that parents of “bright” children don’t understand. If her thread was, “is my child gifted or normal” then yes, she should give us specifics to discuss. She’s not asking us that.

The gifted and talented label is just a hiving off of the top 5% (or 10%) of the class as being the brightest (no shit!); depending on the cohort it can include some distinctly mediocre children.
True giftedness is something very different.
But op has stated that her toddler could bypass primary school entirely, such is their incandescent brightness, without giving the slightest hint as to how she’s drawn this conclusion.
She has advised a poster on another thread though...
A sign of giftedness in a two year old is a reading ability of 4/5...
I’m not sure that’s it’s not all a complete pisstake, tbh.
Are you pulling our legs, op? Fess up

I've got an iq of around 150 and I'm perfectly normal, thanks!

Being intelligent does not make a child abnormal. It seems a disingenuous question, rather like if the mother of Miss World were to say, "I wonder whar it would be like. to have a child who is only average beauty?"