Great Geeky Gift Idea

For years I have gotten my son the National Geographic Kids magazine every Christmas.  Today I thought I would let you all know what a great magazine I think this one is.  If your child is anything like mine and soaks up information like a sponge this magazine is ideal for them.  They are filled with fun facts, fascinating stories, and quirky little games.  For children with ADD or ADHD they are great because the articles are shorter but very interesting.  My son reads them from cover to cover and often goes back for second and third reads.  When he was in elementary school his teachers allowed the magazine to count towards reading credits, which is always a plus.  They don't come monthly but that is part of the appeal because they are so unexpected when they do come.  If you are cash strapped this holiday, which lets face it unless you happen to have the last name Winfrey we pretty much all are, this gift does allow the "bill me later" option.  It won't get here in time for Christmas but the magazines are a few bucks at Books A Million or print out what I call the "Certificate of Authenticity".  It's fairly simple to make a certificate, print it out, and your child will be so excited! 

Gifted Children

I know I have in the past spoke about gifted children and their own special needs.  People seem to be under the impression that raising a gifted child will somehow be easier than raising any other child.  However, I have found over the years that raising my son has been met with challenges that are unique to the gifted mind only.  For example, what do you do with a two year old that can talk like he's fifty?  What do you do when you take your one year old child to the doctors and they not only tell the doctor what is hurting but carry on a conversation about it?  We're not talking a word here or there, we're talking full blown sentences with words like "ear infection" and "antibiotics".  Yep, that's right my thirteen month old son told his doctor that he believed he had an ear infection and needed antibiotics.  This has been a constant struggle for years now, the gifted intellect.  While most people would be thinking "that would be nice if I knew exactly when my child was sick".  Yes, in some ways his mouth has been a blessing but there is the flip side of that mouth.  There was the time that we were standing next to a man in the store and he proceeded to tell me that the man needed a shower because he smelled bad.  There was the time he told a group of old men in the mall that I didn't have any money to have him ride the little quarter rides in the center of the mall - forget the fact that I had already spent over five dollars and an hour on those rides.  Not to mention the morification my mother endured when he asked her if the neighbor was a man or a woman (she was a manly woman by the way) while he was sitting next to her on the front porch.  There was the time when he told me that he thought God was a little boy because only children could make the world beautiful.  Yes, his mouth has been a constant source of amusement, frustration, and amazement. 

So what does a gifted child look like?  How do they act?  The funny thing about the gifted spectrum is that it varies so much per child.  Here is a list of some signs to look for provided by the Psychology Today website. 

Language Skills

While most children are able to form recognizable sentences and understand complex language by about two years of age, gifted children often reach these milestones earlier. As they approach school age, other language skills may appear advanced or sophisticated.
Some of the traits of giftedness to look for when considering your child's language development in relation to others of a similar age include:
• A highly developed vocabulary and the ability to learn new words easily.
• The tendency to speak quickly.
• The early use of longer, more complex sentences while using appropriate grammar.
• Early reading, if given some instruction and opportunity. Many gifted children have already learned how to read before entering school.
• Continually asking questions about what they see and hear, and wanting to receive thorough responses and explanations.
• The ability to understand and carry out multi-step directions at an early age. (e.g., Go to the dining room, get the blue book on the table and put it back on the shelf in your room, then bring me the clothes on your bed so I can wash them).
• The ability to understand and participate in adult conversations. Gifted children often pick up nuances or double meanings early on - so watch what you say!
• The ability to change the language they use when speaking to different audiences. For example, a four-year-old gifted child might use more advanced words and sentence structure when speaking to adults or older children, and then talk in a simpler, more childlike way when addressing his three-year-old cousin.

Learning Abilities
 
All children (all people really, big and small) have an inborn desire to learn about the world around them - to seek out new experiences, figure out the relationship between themselves and their surroundings, to discover, and to learn. What distinguishes gifted children from others is the apparent natural ease and joy with which they go about doing this. Their brains appear to be mental sponges, effortlessly absorbing and incorporating new information and ideas.
 
Many gifted children are natural learners who show some of the following characteristics:

• The ability to learn quickly and efficiently - to pick up ideas and skills effortlessly.
• A tendency to become highly focused on certain areas of interest (e.g., bugs, space, animals) and independently seek out information on these topics.
• The ability to ask questions that show advanced insight or understanding.
• A deep fund of knowledge - they know more about the world around them than you would expect.
• Excellent memory and easy recall of what they previously heard, saw, or learned.
• A tendency to read often on their own and to frequently prefer reading to more physical activities.
• Little need for direction or instruction when beginning a new activity, learning a new game, or acquiring a new skill. They may also insist on doing things on their own, or in their own way.
• Early development of motor skills involving balance, coordination, and movement. Gifted children may also be advanced in some purposeful fine-motor activities such as assembling small objects (e.g., legos, transforming toys, blocks) or putting puzzles together. However, other fine motor skills may not be advanced. Some gifted children are poor at handwriting - although this may be more related to a lack of attention to detail or impatience with the slow and tedious task of handwriting practice than to problems with fine motor control.
• Pleasure in talking to older children and adults about topics that interest them.
• An understanding of their own thinking and learning processes. They may have preferred ways of learning and resist using other methods suggested by a teacher or adult. They are able to sense how much and what kind of studying they need in order to master a skill or topic.
• Creative thinking. Gifted children may enjoy coming up with their own ways to solve problems and take delight in complexity and making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas or concepts.
• The ability to concentrate on a topic of interest for an unusually long period of time. However, gifted children may quickly shift their attention or appear unfocussed when doing something they perceive as unchallenging or uninteresting.
• An inclination to see learning as fun. They take joy in discovering new interests or grasping new concepts.

Emotional and Behavioral Traits
 
Gifted children are often more emotionally intense than others. They can also be more sensitive to others' feelings and circumstances and may display a great deal of empathy in situations where others their age appear indifferent.
 
Other emotional or behavioral traits to look for include:

• A high activity level. Gifted children can appear to have an endless source of energy - constantly moving, talking, asking and exploring.
• The tendency to think and talk fast. Because they may be trying to speak as quickly as they think, gifted children are often asked to "slow down" so the listener can understand them. They can also become frustrated when they feel that others are talking too slowly, or taking too long to "get to the point."
• Strong leadership qualities. Gifted kids often make natural leaders who take charge and lead others in new directions.
• Ability to relate to older kids and adults. Because their cognitive skills and interests can be advanced for their years, gifted kids have an easier time connecting with and learning from those older than themselves.
• Enjoyment of alone time. While gifted children may enjoy spending time with others, including mental mates (whether their own age or adults), they can also enjoy spending time on more solitary activities such as reading, writing, daydreaming, observing, or just thinking.
• Appreciation of natural beauty and art. Gifted children may particularly enjoy being around and pointing out trees, sunsets, flowers, the ocean, animals, and other things of inherent beauty. They can also show a deep interest in certain forms of art - paintings, sculptures, or music, for example.

Hidden Gifts
Some gifted children show only a few of the signs listed above, or show traits that are quite the opposite of what you'd expect. For example, some will start to speak late rather than early, some will be emotionally reserved rather than intense, and some appear to think and speak slowly rather than quickly.

It's funny that when I found this article I found myself saying "yep" a lot.  Most of these do sound like my son and he does display the behaviors as noted.  However, it's interesting to note that Albert Einstein didn't talk until he was three and that he was told by teachers that he was stupid.  The human brain never ceases to interest me. 

The reason why I am bringing this whole issue up is that while parenting a gifted child is interesting it does pose problems when they get to school.  I had an opportunity to get my son in the gifted programs while still in elementary school and while I understand that the program is designed to be more challenging to my eyes it just looked like more.  It was more homework, more intense, and a lot less fun than the normal classes.  It seemed to me like more of a punishment for him being smart than a benefit.  Now, as my son enters the world of middle school I am thinking that the gifted programs would probably have been better for him.  Not that he was challenged, he was blessed with fabulous teachers, but because now at this point getting that gifted title is a hard process to go through. 

The fact is that gifted children do not learn in the same way that other children learn.  He uses very complex steps to get through a simple math problem.  While my not so gifted brain is looking at it and thinking that he could do it a lot easier.  Where the problem lies is the fact that at this point the teachers are become VERY VERY knit picky about showing their work.  While he's understanding the concepts in math and he's getting all the correct answers, he's getting points marked off because his steps are so complex.  It's frustrating as a parent and torturous for my child.  So now I am battling.  I am at war with a system that is too over crowded and too over burdened to be concerned about my child. 

Here is my wise words for the day:  If you found yourself going down that list and more than half of the examples are "so your child", then your child is more than likely gifted.  If you are looking at that list and thinking "now what?"  my suggestion is for you to go to the school with the list printed out and show someone.  Get your child diagnosed, for a lack of a better word, and get it in writing before they move onto middle school.  Get it in writing and then your child's unique learning styles will be honored.  It's very frustrating if you're fighting for it later. 

Pigtails Thwart a Bully

I always try to stress to my son how important it is to walk away from bullies, words can't physically harm you, but the truth is sometimes words cut you deeper than any knife can.  Today I read a fantastic story about bullying and the witty peaceful protest one girl staged to fight back.

Let's face it, getting into a spit for spat argument with a bully gets you nowhere fast!  That was exactly what the case was with the almighty Maisie Kate Miller.  She had been taunted and teased by the same mean girl for some time and finally the bullying just got too much.  Maisie was wearing pigtails in support of a sports team and overheard the mean girl talking smack about it...yep, I actually said smack!!!  Anyways, after a year of torment from this girl Maisie was driven to tears by this latest insult. 

So what did Maisie do?  She didn't get in the bully's face, she didn't try to outwit the bully, and she didn't try to get even.  She protested her bully's comment by posting a plea for help on her Facebook page.  Here's her message:

“There was a incident today, and I was really upset about it. A girl who has been bothering me all year, saying rude, hurtful things to me, said something that just topped me over, and I’m ready to get this Over and done with. Today she was behind me going up the stairs and commented on my hair that was up in pigtails (for a sport) commenting to her friend
Saying “who wears pigtails still? Are we in kindergarten?” as nonchalant and innocent as this seems, it’s been one of a few comments at me and about me and my group of friends said in hearing range of myself. I am asking you all to understand that this hurt me beyond reason (partially from PMS, and partially because this has been a tough week for me), but mostly because it was wrong, i cried. This was the last straw for me. I know pigtails are ridiculous looking and often don’t look the best on 15 and 16 year olds, but please if you could help my cause and do so many other girls who have had hurtful things said to them; wear pigtails tomorrow. If you can’t or won’t, please tell others about my experience, and ask them
To please wear pigtails.
Thank you so much for reading, and sharing.”

She handled the situation with grace and didn't even mention her bully's name.  She didn't want her to get bullied!  I mean how fantastic is that? 

Please support Maisie by liking her Facebook page (Pigtails4Peace), passing along this inspiring story, and sporting those pigtails!