She's not going to get even more traffic from me.) Nope, not how that works. Because, they reason, if only some people are gifted, then they don't have "gifts." (I'm not going to link to the latest blog post gone viral on this. But some (unfortunately very vocal) people tend to take issue with the term "gifted" unlike ADD or autism. Gifted describes a difference in brain wiring, just like ADD or autism. There are intellectual advantages, as well as some disadvantages to being gifted. Just as "genius" identifies 2% of the population, "gifted" identifies people (adults as well as children) who's brains work differently from most of the population. My kids (at least, my boys are not sure about the baby girl yet) are "gifted." Genius is a word used to identify 2% of the population. But please, world, stop throwing the word "genius" around. But I shared something she did and someone said "don't be surprised she's a genius, just like her brothers." I know, I know, it was meant as a compliment. Lady Bug is just a baby not even an advanced one that I can see. I only share the occasional funny thing they say nothing about academic achievements. Even on my private facebook, with just family and friends, I hold back. So I'm gun shy now about saying anything. I tired reaching out when I freaked out about my not yet three year old starting to read I did not get a good reaction from the mom group I asked for help from. Within groups of moms talking and sharing, I smile and nod and keep it zipped. So most of the time, I don't say anything. Because I know all too well that comparison is a thief of joy, I am extra sensitive to not wanting to put other parents in the position where they feel bad about their own child. My experience, and articles on blogs about how "everyone is gifted" and posts on forums about how someone doesn't believe three years olds can read because her four year old isn't so you must be lying. You might be saying "wow, your kids are so smart!" What I hear is "stop talking about your kids and making me feel bad about mine." And that very well may be all on me, hearing the wrong thing. But whatever the reason, when someone casually applies it to one (or all) of my children, I withdraw shut down. Maybe it's because I know the only "real" geniuses are the top 2%, and it's statistically unlikely my child is one of those 2%. Maybe it's because growing up, the word "genius" was thrown around as an insult by the other kids at school. Confession: I inwardly cringe when you call my child a "genius." I'm sure it's meant as a complement, but all I hear is "stop bragging about your kid."
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