Is your child a gifted one?
Every parent wishes for their child to be a gifted one. But most of them do not know how to raise a gifted child.
A kid having special skills, gifted learning abilities, standing out from the crowd, is life really easy for them?
No!
The gifted children have their own battles to fight. They struggle to fit in a world that runs on mediocrity and a world that criticizes excellence, a world that does not understand the brilliant ones. But the worst part is most parents do not realize this, and some of them don’t even realize that they are blessed with a gifted child.
So, before talking about the issues of a gifted child, here are some ways to know if your child is a gifted one!
Identify your gifted child
A gifted child is someone who is born with a very high level of mental ability or who possesses extraordinary skills in certain areas, it could be any specific area like art, logic, mathematics, verbal communication, or interpersonal communication.
A gifted child usually possesses either one or more of the following characteristics.
- They have vivid imaginations.
- Gifted kids are quick learners and they are very good at logic and reasoning.
- They have excellent communication skills even at an early stage.
- Such kids are very curious and they have a lot of questions.
- Their memory is very sharp.
- They have good concentration power.
- They are independent and have strong opinions.
Being different is difficult in a world that runs on generalized rules. Gifted children often face emotional, psychological, and mental health illnesses. Do you know in most cases, it is the parents that leave their kids damaged? Their absence as well as their presence brings a kind of damage that only a parent can do.
Struggles of a gifted child
Some of the most common issues identified in gifted children are –
Gifted kids have unrealistic expectations
Research shows that gifted children have very high expectations of themselves. They are also their own worst critics. Because they are so used to excellence anything less than the best can send them in a shock. These extremely high expectations can ruin their morale, and impact their mental and physical health.
Parents of such kids need to be very careful, supportive, and encouraging. They shouldn’t be harsh or critical about their child’s failures rather they should teach the importance of failure. This can help them in coping with this.
They tend to be the Perfectionist
Perfection is a myth and chasing a myth can be frustrating. Gifted children often want everything to be perfect. Though this can make them high-achievers, this also makes them procrastinators who get into the finest details. They despise mediocrity and make an extra effort to get things perfect even when it’s not necessary. Studies have associated perfectionism with abdominal pain, eating disorders, and OCD.
If you are witnessing your child becoming a perfectionist then try to engage them in less important activities and introduce them to the non-perfect world. Make them see that it’s not that bad. In extreme cases, you can also take them to a professional who can help them navigate through this.
Gifted kids are more likely to experience burnout
Gifted children always have their minds engaged on one thing or another. They would be chasing perfection and excellence. They usually have high energy and they pour it all into the task at hand. They also abandon their hobbies chasing excellence in academics. This can lead them to stress, burnout, and exhaustion which can cause poor sleep, frequent sickness, and troubles in school.
Make sure that your child is following a healthy routine, a nutritious diet, exercises, and a disciplined sleep routine. Engage them in relaxing activities like swimming or dancing. This will help keep their energies in check and stress at bay.
Impatience is their biggest enemy
Gifted kids have this trait of impatience. If they don’t understand something quickly, they tend to lose interest. This is because they get angry and frustrated and abandon the activity altogether. They can also get frustrated with others who take longer to understand things.
It could be drawing, dancing, music, or anything else, if they find it difficult to understand in the first class, they may never turn up for the second class. As such it is important that parents make them practice persistence. Encourage them to attend a few classes and once they start getting better at it, they won’t give up.
They might have an issue with attention
Their mind works in mysterious ways. They have abstract thoughts and can easily get drifted off to another place in their thoughts. As such, they can have problems paying attention or keeping things organized. While some of them can be very particular about the organization and suffer from OCD, others could thrive in the mess.
If this is the case with your kid then engage them in yoga, meditation, or sports that need a high level of focus like shooting, archery, and martial arts. This will help balance their energies and teach them the importance of discipline while developing their focus on the current task.
They can be socially awkward
Because they are different from the herd, it can be difficult for them to find their tribe. They might face problems in making friends or sustaining that friendship. They are highly emotional and very sensitive. This can make them feel lonely and sad and can lead to behavioral problems. They can also get easily be trapped in the wrong influence.
If you have a gifted child, then make sure to go the extra mile to establish a strong bond where they feel safe, happy, and complete. Try to help them in finding other gifted kids. Once they find their tribe, they won’t have a problem socializing.
They can be control freak
Because gifted kids can think way ahead of their peers, they tend to come out as control freaks. They can already foresee the course of actions and the consequences that their peer fails to see. As such, they may prefer doing things their way. This nature can come across as arrogant and bossy, leading them to make their social life difficult.
Take your child out to try a few fun things. Teach them that sometimes even taking the wrong way can lead to the right place. Make them comfortable with listening to ‘no’.
They can suffer from Low Self-Esteem
Being different from their peers can make them suffer from low self-esteem. Because they are more likely to get bullied and struggle to find their place in the world. They are also at a higher risk of depression, social isolation, mood disorders, and other issues. Some of these kids develop self-hate during adulthood because they missed living their life chasing unimportant things.
Enroll your kids in different activities. Activities where they excel and some activities when they don’t. This will help them bond with the other kids and understand the world a bit better.
Myths about gifted children
- Gifted children are made for success. Most of these children end up living depressed life because of their internal issues.
- Gifted children are mature, so they don’t need pampering. They do need love and pampering as much as the other kids.
- Gifted children excel in all areas. They don’t necessarily. They can be great at one thing and below average at another.
- All gifted children are the same. They aren’t. All gifted children have special needs but they aren’t the same.
- Gifted children are always the topper in class. They spend a lot of time pursuing one thing that they may be average in all the other things.
Your Takeaway!
A gifted child is a blessing and a responsibility. It is very important to understand their special needs and cater to them. Parents, teachers as well as the community should be made aware of raising a kid right while protecting their innocence and delicate mind, only then we will see a world where only good people live!
Also Read:
Balancing your parenting styles: Mom vs Dad
Single Child Syndrome: Problems of a Single Child
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