The Challenges of Being a Gifted Child

[@nikecontd]

As a grown up gifted kid, I'd like every parent to know that support and challenge is important, yes, but the most important thing is to teach us to self-regulate, how to deal with ourselves, etc. I grew up being pointed out and pointed at. As a grown-up, I have many struggles concerning loneliness and accepting I will always stand out in the fields I'm good at and also the ones I'm NOT YET good at but I have a high drive to learn new things which once again makes people point me out. It's terrifying. And the psychological needs behind that are so important to deal with.

[@user-bb2mq2zx3v]

I'm 12 and I'm gifted. I've always been told that it's a blessing, and that I should be happy and proud of myself. I am also really sensitive to other people's feelings and emotions and always try to help. I don't say this to boast about it, but because it has made me struggle a lot throughout my life. Even though I get along with everyone and am popular at school, I've never felt like I fit in or have an actual connection with anyone. Yes, I have good friends and we have things in common, but I always feel like deep down, I'll never be like them. And I know that it's true but it's hard to accept. Understimulation has always been a struggle as well. It made my life really exhausting and meaningless, I couldn't concentrate on anything and I felt that I was getting physically tired, like, reallyy tired. Just walking up the stairs got my legs feeling heavy. It's difficult for me to cope with and often I wish that I wasn't gifted and high senstive. I've been told that it has it's pros and cons but I don't know many things that have benefited me yet. I hope that I will meet people who understand how I feel in the future because I feel very alone. (I hope this comment made sense, English is not my first language!)

[@MaggieDentAuthor]

Hi there, It's Hayley here from Team Maggie. Thank you so much for your comment and so beautifully expressed. I shared your message with Maggie and she would like to gift you one of her books. Could you please share an email address that we could send that too via my email - [e-mail]. :-) Also, Maggie suggested you find a lighthouse figure, someone, an adult who truly gets how being gifted can be that can support you along the way. There may also be an online group you could find, many go through a gifted kids site and it's important that you feel heard and seen honestly and authentically - this is really important. Lastly, what is your spark? What do you love to do the most? Find ways to pursue that outside of school. I hope this helps and thanks again.

[@acidinity]

Well, in my opinion you are around the age you should start considering reading philosophy. Many authors, like Bertrand Rusell, Albert Camus, Soren Kierkeegard, Herman Hesse, Fyodor Dostoievski, Kafka, etc. are prolific writers with such profiles, that being really intelligent and highly sensitive as well, and I think they are going to help you get through the teenage years and understand more about the dynamics of life, that you will need later on. These helped me a lot while getting out of a heavy existential crisis, so I shall recommend them to you before it happens hahaha. Hope it helps :)

[@M-dv1yj]

@@MaggieDentAuthorI’m sorry I know you mean well. But your not giving advice congruent with that persons needs. You mean well but your not aware of the perspectives and challenges of very high intelligence. To be validated or heard is the last thing she cares about. To be understood and for others to have the capacity to receive her bandwidth and her calculations of the data she is processing. There are no technical methods to fix that. She just needs to find smarter people and hope she is not so smart that she never finds that room. To be challanged and surprised that would probably be fun to 😊

[@M-dv1yj]

@@acidinity Mid iq activity. Observe the world and work out the connections. Then when you come across all those philosophers you can enjoy that you thought of it all yourself. Tho a scan of the thoughts of history for questions that where posed is a good spark to bridge the void between filling your mind with dead thoughts and complete synthesis of your universal map from your own minds workings. 🤷🏽‍♂️. Do I judge yes. Because if you can’t think of it and need to read it first you don’t own it and you can’t wield it into a constructive form. But rather become slave to it and your reactions to it.

[@M-dv1yj]

@@acidinityalso if we are talking gifted and I thought we were that age is kindergarten maybe 2nd grade. 12 come on by then you have got to have your own “theory of everything “ cosmic evolution (by 2nd grade and human societal evolution by about 12 yrs old) I think most of this material is made for mildly gifted folk to sell them as being gifted and thus get customers 🤷🏽‍♂️. I am not wrong tho.

[@asiyaheibhlin]

I grew up gifted and was even placed in Gifted and Talented classes in school. I was kicked out of the program st around 10 because I was so depressed about my father's job of doing overseas contracting in war, that I failed to meet the grade and participation standards. I struggled in school from then, on. My 20-month old son is showing signs of being gifted. If he is I will do everything in my power to ensure he has the support he needs to maintain his self-esteem and allow him to grow naturally. It's partially why I want to homeschool him. And anything I cannot teach him I will get a tutor to stand-in. -American in Australia

[@justtable888]

Best advice. Thank you so much

[@user-ee6lp7jn6q]

My child has just been diagnosed as highly gifted (IQ test by psychologist). He’s really like a little lawyer…. I’m always fascinated by his thoughts but he really struggles with knowing when he should stop talking!!! It creates so much trouble for him in school! 😅😅😅🤣🤣 I keep thinking he sure isn’t a model student but he sure will make a good litigator!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@PrashanthGiridharan]

Wonderful

[@gregwestwood5160]

My child is 5, can read, do maths is socially confident and is good at sport. I need to get her to somewhere that she can develop at a pace that suits her. Her class are a bit thick.

[@kittycat8222]

Any resources for my highly gifted son who also has emotional disturbance? He’s been gifted his entire life and now in 4th grade. Trying to find help. The schools are just wanting to drug him up.

[@gregwestwood5160]

Just keep being a good parent. It's all you can do. If you keep trying you will probably get him the help he needs, persistence is omnipotent.

[@kittycat8222]

@@gregwestwood5160 thanks!! I’m trying!! 🙏🏻

[@nikecontd]

Also I'm crying reading all the comments because I relate so so so much but I've never found someone like me in real life. Can we establish a support group or something? 😭😂

[@doro.scientist.artist]

Hello, I am a grown up gifted kid and everything I want is to be normal. I´ve been punished for being "not right", harassed and bullied by everybody 24/7. I didn´t knew why people did this because I didn´t do anything wrong. Now I avoid talking to others wherever I could because I can not stand it anymore. It´s not a gift to be gifted - in german "gift" means "poison". Yes, it´s poison to be gifted - no one needs it, no one wants it and it´s completely useless 🤷‍♀

[@superfruba]

As a grow up gifted person, it truly does seem like all the bullying and expectations just ruined any chance of being normal I had, now I just lean into the oddity

[@Miles_tcg]

As a gifted student I an becoming depressed and anxious

[@MaggieDentAuthor]

Sending you love. Please seek support if you think you need it. x

[@abarnajeevaratnam5554]

Same me too depressed anxiety all shit things now i started to recover my self . And the wondered thing is I only identified my self as gifted after i started to follow psychology in my higher studies.

[@user-bb2mq2zx3v]

@@abarnajeevaratnam5554 Yeah, I didn't notice myself that I was gifted either. All I noticed is that I felt different from the rest.

[@raisingphoenix3374]

Same