Episode 08: What Does Being Gifted Actually Mean?
What do you think of when you hear the word "giftedness"? Megan breaks down the stereotypes and needs of gifted children, and takes a deep dive into the concept of "filling your child's cup". Whether or not you have gifted children, this episode will make you think twice about how you meet your child's needs.(Listen below!)
Clubhouse: @ontheharddays
You know, there’s so many stereotypes out there about gifted children. Mr. 7 is so misunderstood, and now that I finally feel like I “get” him, I feel this need to share with the world the information that a typical adult might not know. Let’s get started:
Stereotype #1 - Gifted kids are geniuses. They must read chapter books by 2 and compose their own songs by 4, right? Wrong. Being gifted does not make you are “genius” (whatever that really is). Mr. 7 is very intelligent, and he also has a great memory. He wasn’t able to do anything “crazy” at a young age - he’s just a fast learner.
Stereotype #2 - Gifted kids have an extremely high IQ. While they may, they don’t have to - and the typical “number” to be gifted is really a guidline.
Let’s talk about filling your child’s cup. If your son or daughter was into basketball, what would you do to support them? You’d probably put them on a team, buy a hoop for your driveway, watch games on TV and maybe even study stats of their favorite players. You’d go ALL IN with them, right? Because that’s what parents do.
But what if your child’s greatest interest is - learning? What if they aren’t getting their cup filled in school, because the work is too simple? This is our situation. I’m taking a hard look at myself - since Mr. 7’s cup isn’t filled in school, how am I filling it at home?
I’m not. And I’d like to be. So I can’t wait to jump into making positive changes for Mr. 7. He wants information, nature walks, and science experiments. I need to support him like I’d support my other children, so that he goes to sleep every night with a filled cup.
Sites to check out if your child is gifted or 2E:
https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources-parents/twice-exceptional-students
https://childmind.org/article/twice-exceptional-kids-both-gifted-and-challenged/
https://sethperler.com/child-2e-twice-exceptional-ultimate-guide/