Gripes of Gifted Parents by Amy Smith

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 14:56:16 UTC

Challenges regarding a gifted child with an older sibling one grade level higher...older sibling feels incompetent sometimes.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 14:57:36 UTC

Parenting a gifted kid can be exhausting and that brings unique challenges. Others often think behaviors they see are due to neglectful parenting and don't recognize our child's brain function on a high level but they don't necessarily have the ability to handle that.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 14:58:16 UTC

My child never stops talking. HE gets very upset when he doesn't do well at something the first time he tries it. Definitely exhausting!

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 14:58:41 UTC

As a gifted child he is so afraid to fail and always wants to be a perfectionist.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 14:59:07 UTC

It's so...very exhausting sometimes. I feel overwhelmed with trying to research/learn how best to parent certain situations.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 14:59:47 UTC

They are independent and understand more than we think, so they are always challenging and questioning things (which I love BTW) but it is exhausting!

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:04:45 UTC

If the label gets my child the support and services they need then I am all for it.

It does require extra conversations about it not being a competition or something to brag about and you still need to work hard and grow.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:05:36 UTC

We try to avoid labels but have discussions about what the different labels mean and how to express our feelings toward those labels appropriately.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:06:09 UTC

It takes away from the "growth mindset" to pre-define them. Without the label it is easier to encourage them to always give their best effort.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:06:44 UTC

We battled between the idea of a "label". Sometimes they are presented in such a negative aspect. We still worry about the label.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:07:47 UTC

Some parents over-inflate their child's ego. Each child has gifts in different areas and push them to achieve too much too fast or try to push in every area to be the best not settling for good or mediocre.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:08:25 UTC

I feel like sometimes relatives or friends think we are bragging if we tell them a story about something he did like reading a college level book.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:08:53 UTC

My son loves creativity, he knows a lot, but calls adults grown up children.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:09:18 UTC

I do wish there was more public knowledge in society about the sensitivities that often come with gifted kids feelings.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:09:57 UTC

Both of my children, while gifted, struggle socially and still need help in those areas. Family/friends etc expect them to act older and seem to have less patience with them than other kids of the same age.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:10:41 UTC

Or even us parents and the child himself! He/We gets frustrated when he struggles with something or in an area. There is room for a growth struggle in learning.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:11:26 UTC

I feel that a lot of people feel that because my son is gifted it means he should understand and rationalize concepts above his age level. I think that his ability to hold conversations with older peers is crossed with his emotional intelligence.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:12:45 UTC

Boredom in school and with homework is REAL. Other methods of recognizing giftedness could be good.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:13:19 UTC

There is definitely a need for a gifted program. They need to be pushed, directed, guided, and recognized.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:13:51 UTC

When my other children were in AIG ...or actually before...they were "left alone" when they showed initial proficiency...then they did not grow.

amysmith2 — 2025-09-05 15:15:04 UTC

I feel like I need a support group for handling his anxiety over 'minor" things and he breezes through "major" things.

I agree with all the prior comments. My gifted child struggles with "being held to a higher standard" by his teachers and other adults -- whether it's intentional or not, it's our reality.

2025-09-08 17:36:07 UTC

We are not meeting our gifted learners' needs when they're given busy work because we can't serve them properly.

2025-09-08 17:36:56 UTC