Thanks for the feedback, guys. And quark, I'm so glad to know I'm not the only mom who's done that!

No one responded to this, so I'm bumping it. I'd really love some feedback!:001_smile:

Here's the first one: http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/i-hate-hearing-about-your-gifted-child/ And a thoughtful response: So you hate hearing about my “gifted†child… I'm curious about others' reactions to these... The first blog didn't bother me too much, but some of the comments in response to it bothered me. Several people made comments that were quite dismissive of the whole concept of giftedness. Many had stories about people they knew who were gifted and were less than successful. While I can understand where these comments are coming from, I have to wonder if people would say the same things about musical gifts or athletic gifts? Should gifted people (and parents of gifted kids) feel they have to hide their gifts or be dismissive of them?

First one: http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/i-hate-hearing-about-your-gifted-child/ And a thoughtful response: http://awayfromtheoven.com/2012/02/02/so-you-hate-hearing-about-my-gifted-child/ I felt really discouraged after reading some of the comments from the first blog. While I can understand that it's annoying to hear other people brag, it bothers me how dismissive people are of the concept of giftedness. Everyone seems to have a story about someone they know who was so smart but turned out so poorly! So therefore they make it seem like it's not an important trait at all or that it is undesirable. This seems so wrong to me--giftedness is just one aspect of a person, but it is nothing to be ashamed of. If a child is gifted in athletics or art rather than academics are we so dismissive? I truly hope I don't brag about my children. I love them dearly and of course I like to talk about them, but believe me, I know they are far from perfect. After all, I live with them. With my dd7 in particular, it was really hard to brag about her reading at a young age when she wasn't toilet trained until she was 6 (and actually still has problems--but that's another story!). In fact, when people comment about how bright she is, I often feel the need to make a comment about one of her weaknesses just so it doesn't seem like I think she is somehow superior to others. I'm trying to break this habit, but it's hard. Anyway, sorry to rant, but I know many of you can understand these feelings!

I agree with what other posters have said but would add that reading aloud to children is a great way to improve comprehension. We have done this with my dd7. Often, once she is hooked by us reading aloud to her, she will read ahead in the book on her own. We still go back and read where we left off (not where she gets to on her own) and when we go back and read it aloud she'll ask what certain words (or expressions) mean. It doesn't seem to bore her for us to re-read what she has already read, but I suppose it might bore some kids. Whatever you do, it sounds like your child already loves reading, so it's really hard to go wrong!

My dd7 was also quite reluctant to read aloud until this past year. For her, I think it was just a confidence thing. I wouldn't worry about it too much, but agree that maybe having her read aloud to stuff animal would be worth a try. Good luck!

Quote: The lady implied that average/bright/above average (IQ 100-125) children would have the same results with parents like us. What I meant by my previous post was that if the above is true, then the problem is with the test, because it is not distinguishing between those categories. A decent test will at least distinguish between average and superior. They don't top out at 125. (And by the way, the range you mention is quite large and you would expect to see a pretty big difference between the 100 kid and 125 kid). So if the test they used can't discriminate gifted from bright normal kids, they need to use a different test.

IMHO, this consultant's arguments don't make any sense. If there are "lots of kids who hit the IQ test ceilings" (which I think is highly doubtful) then that is evidence of a problem with the test, not evidence of the child's ability (or lack thereof). And if rapid academic progress combined with high IQ scores don't suggest something more than "bright normal" than what would? Does the consultant have some vested interest in discouraging parents like you? I would take her advice with a truckload of salt!

That's very cool!:hurray:

I also find it too difficult to write out lesson plans. We have our core subjects we do each day, and then alternate history/science and other subjects. I just jot down what we did on a weekly log (usually as we do it, or my memory fails!). We usually have a minimum amount I expect my dd to do, but sometimes she's on a roll and we get a lot more done. Every so often I check the overall progress and make sure we have more materials when we need them. Seems to work so far...

What a shame that you had this experience. I'm in a group with quite a few unschoolers and have never had them say anything judgmental to me or anyone else (at least not to my face). I think we all feel so blessed that we have the freedom to educate our children in the way we see fit, so why would we ever want criticize each other? It sounds like these moms might feel a little insecure, and maybe they build themselves up by putting others down. I really hope you can find a more supportive group. :grouphug: ps one wonders if your child had pulled out a Nintendo DS instead of a book, would they have had the same reaction? :confused:

I don't think you are off-base at all! Like you, I thought my dd (now 7) was bright, but pretty normal. However, when she was 4 she went from sounding out words to reading full-length books practically overnight, which seemed a little unusual. We had her tested (for unrelated reasons), and as it turns out, she is gifted. I think because she is not profoundly gifted I sort of missed it at first (like you said, she doesn't speak Greek or solve multiplication problems in her head). Looking back, I realize there were signs. For example, when she was 9 months old our babysitter told me that my dd recognized most of her letters (we had toy "candy" letters). I didn't really believe it at first, but it was true. I can tell you that most 4 and half year olds are not reading books anywhere near the level you describe! So buckle your seat belt, you are likely to be in for quite a ride...have fun:001_smile:

Thanks for all of these ideas...I've been trying to find an alternative to "school" because I do feel what we do is different than school. My dd has a pretty negative reaction to "work" as well, so I might try "lessons" or "learning."

Took the kids out to eat tonight. My dd7 started talking to a middle-aged woman in the booth behind us. I got up to throw something away, and when I turned around, my dd had slid into the booth opposite the woman, and was chatting away about Hermes, telling her how he walked right after he was born, etc. The woman looked at me in astonishment, and said, "Your daughter knows Greek mythology?" I just smiled, and apologized for my extremely shy (not) children!:D

I do testing for a living (clinical psychologist) and while it's difficult to say much with so little info provided, I can say that the spread you reported is not that large. The WMI/PSI are certainly lower than the other two, but they are still above average (if they were in the 70-80 standard score range, it might be more of a concern). These tasks are more likely to be impacted by "outside" factors, such as fatigue, boredom, and so on. The VCI/PRI scales tend to be a bit more stable over time because they include more subtests and a broader range of skills. I would say you have a gifted child who is likely to show some scatter in test scores for a host of reasons... Good luck and hth...

This is my dd to a T! We continually work on these concepts. One day after she threw her pencil across the room because she reversed a letter, I pulled out a pack of the kind of erasers you stick on the end of a pencil. I asked her why we needed them...why do they even make packs of erasers...I think she got the point, but it's still a struggle at times. I found the book The Optimistic Child by Seligman to have some helpful advice about how to talk with children about how negative self-talk impacts on them, and how to turn it around. Good luck!

I don't know if we notice smart people's screw-ups more or not, but they are sometimes funny...We've used quite a few babysitters over the years, but the only one who ever put my son's diaper on backwards was a Yale grade who had just been accepted into Yale law school:001_smile: My grandfather, who was a headmaster at a British boys' school and a Cambridge grad, was famous for leaving the house in his slippers. He also once took his kids shopping in the next town, and was halfway home on the bus before he realized he had left the kids behind... (maybe he was a little ADHD, too). The worst lack of common-sense stories I've heard came from a friend of mine in grad school. Her roommate (also a grad student) called 911 because she couldn't figure out how to turn the A/C on--and that was just one of many examples. To be fair, I don't think she was particularly bright in other areas, either.

I also think it's great to hear about what other kids are doing, and I find this forum a great way to do that. It doesn't seem like bragging to me to say that a child is gifted at something (whether it's academics, back handsprings, or making pastry). However, I do think we have to be careful what we say in front of our kids. We have some friends who love to brag about their daughter (posting her test scores on Facebook, etc.). I have no problem with that, but I think that maybe they have discussed this with her in a way that is not appropriate. It's starting to affect how she interacts with others. For example, I was teaching Sunday school a few weeks ago when she turned to another kid (who is a year younger) and said, "You don't know how to spell 'love' yet? I knew that at your age!" The other kid's face fell, and I reassured him and (gently) told her off. I know from reading Carol Dweck that praising a kid for being smart can really backfire, and that if our friends' daughter ever meets a challenge, she may struggle to cope with it. Wish I knew how to discuss this with them, but I can't see any tactful way to do so...

I've run into the same issue with my daughter a few times... I would let him read ahead. At this age, I think the point is to expose them to a lot of information and if they want to do that on their own, more power to them! When you want to "do science" with him, maybe you can ask him what he thought was most interesting in the zoology book, and then you can explore that together in more depth. For example, you could look up information on the internet together, get more books from the library, make a lapbook, etc. Even if he doesn't retain everything he reads, that's okay because you'll be coming back to it eventually. Have fun with it!

Love this thread! My kids were arguing today, too: Dd6: You ate some of my candy! Ds4: No, I didn't. (repeat this cycle a few times) Dd6: You may deny it, but I'm quite certain that you did. Look at it! Dd4: I didn't do that. It was the cat!:D Dd6 also accused her brother of "hypocrisy" the other day. I had to laugh, since she also tends to call the kettle black herself frequently...

Hi, no it's not creepy--I think you're the one that told me about these forums? I've really enjoyed reading them and have found them useful, so thanks! We haven't made it to a park meeting lately, it's been kind of crazy. But if you are headed this way again let me know, maybe we can meet up somewhere. I always enjoy hearing how other people "do" homeschool, especially using classical methods...

I skipped 3rd grade mid-way through the year and it really was no big deal. The only thing I remember struggling with was trying to play basketball in PE with the 4th graders when I hadn't learned the rules of the game! Otherwise, no one cared that I was younger (if they even knew). It worked fairly well for me, but I would say I'm only moderately gifted. I don't think grade acceleration for more profoundly gifted children would really be enough. I think you also have to consider the child's maturity level and his or her own wishes.

I should qualify my response by saying that I'm a psychologist who specializes in testing, so my opinion is biased... That being said, I would never have thought of testing my own children (currently ages 6 and 4). However, two major reasons led me to having my own dd tested when she was 5. 1) I was learning a new IQ test and using my dd (then 4) as a guinea pig. I knew she was bright, but had no idea she would score so high. And 2) My dd had several behavioral issues (eg., incontinence, hand-flapping, anxiety) that were frustrating, and my dh and I wanted assurance that her behaviors were not due to an underlying problems such as Asperger's. I found a psychologist who specializes in testing gifted children, and although the testing itself didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know, it provided me with an unbiased opinion and also gave me some peace of mind that my daughter's behavior could be attributed to something (i.e., giftedness). As much as labels are annoying (and misleading at times), they also give you some sort of framework for understanding human behavior. I would also add that if you decide to try testing, be choosy about who does it. Most psychologists know little about giftedness (myself included, until I had my dd), and may not choose the right tests or interpret them correctly. Hope that helps!:001_smile:

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I'm in Evansville and I'm also easing into the classical approach. Enjoying re-reading the Greek myths...