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Lindsay Metcalf
on Jun 19 2013 - 06:00 AM
My top five most important moments of the summer so far
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mara williams
on Jun 18 2013 - 06:00 AM
Hey, manchild, mama says: clean your room, wash the dishes, don't drink and drive.
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Emily Parnell
on Jun 16 2013 - 06:00 AM
Eating fresh, local produce is good for body and soul
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Jim Cosgrove
on Jun 13 2013 - 06:00 AM
I just want to buy some pants. Please, turn down the music.
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- kim nakahodo - Profile | Pictures | Blog
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Before I had kids I knew one thing – my child could never be as gifted as __________________ (fill in the blank).
I am still very new to this side of the fence… the married with children side. I spent most of my life on the other side looking in. I was a single working professional throughout all of my 20s and early 30s. I watched as many of my friends were married and then had children.
They would tell me what I was missing – as if I was not getting married and having children on purpose.
When I would talk to my friends with kids they would tell me how advanced their child was. They would tell me how their kids where in the 90+% for height, weight, ect. I would hear all about how their child is gifted at _________________ (fill in the blank) or how they were doing _________________ (fill in the blank) better than anyone else in their age group.
I understand its human nature to brag about your child – but seriously, why is EVERY child gifted. Very few people are gifted – it’s why it’s special.
I love my friend Alissa because she calls it like it is. She is one of the ONLY people that honestly talks about her children to me. Her children are in the 30% for weight and her oldest boy has motor skill problems with his right hand. It’s very refreshing to hear someone be honest and open about their children.
To the best of my first-time-mommy knowledge, my son isn’t gifted, and I don’t expect him to be. I would say that he has figured out a few things out earlier than I thought, but I wouldn’t call that gifted.
For as many things as I would say he’s advanced at, there just as many things he is not. My favorite thing is that he just cannot accept that he doesn’t fit between the couch and the chair. He tries and tries, but just can’t seem to accept it.
He is in the 90% for height, but I REALLY think those charts are just old and need to be update. How can EVERY kid I know be in the 90+%???
I am proud to say that he is average – and there is nothing wrong with that. My experience is that average people with extraordinary (gifted) work ethics are the true success stories.
I plan to focus on a great work ethic and not worry about the gifted/not gifted issue.
What are your thoughts? Am I the only one who gets bombarded with stories of gifted kids?
I have average kids! I like to mess with my friends that brag about ridiculous things...seriously we all have challenges and if you can't admit that to a fellow mom, then you must have a lot bottled up in there! I have often wondered about the height/weight chart myself. But my dr told me that with my son, the boy chart is kinda "crammed" so even a small measurement can make a big difference in the percentiles. Also, neither of my kids could do the rubiks cube DH gave them. If they can't do it by 3 and 18mos, I doubt they ever will! Good blog!I love this blog! It is so appropirate for me right now. I could not be in more agreement with you about the work ethic. My dh and I are always saying that same exact thing. I can't tell you how many times I have seen concerned Mom's when someone else will say "well my son started walking at 9 months". It all comes out in the wash in the end. I guess I could brag about my dd being in the 99% but it is for weight only and well as her Dr. said her hamhocks (thighs) should start to slim down once she start rolling. hmmmmm. ;)Love it!!! You'd think parents would get over this once their kids are well into school, but some don't. The way I see it, everyone is gifted in some area or another, just like everyone has deficits in some are or another. Every mother of an infant should read this. They'd feel better about their own child and would perhaps rethink making everyone around them listen to them go on and on about their budding Einstein or Joe Montana.Every mom brags on her kids--it's what we do! However, I agree that most kids aren't "gifted." Some are better than others at certain things; my son is a terrific artist and my daughter takes incredible photographs, but neither one of them knows squat about math or science. Big deal. We can't all be Einstein. And you're right--if everyone were "gifted," it wouldn't be special. I do believe, however, that everyone is blessed with "gifts," which isn't the same thing, in my opinion. I have a good singing voice, but I wouldn't call myself "gifted" in the vocal music department. Think Kate Smith, Kiri Te Kanawa, Maria Callas . . . gifted singers, all.Yay you! I really appreciate this blog so much. I covered a certain school district back in the 1990s, and more than half the kids supposedly qualified for the gifted program. How is that even possible? And frankly, I've known a lot of supposedly gifted people academically who didn't amount to much in the adult world. I think a solid work ethic will take you so much farther. Thanks for writing this blog.I don't know, I guess I think most every child is gifted in some fashion. Like Moosebane, I thnk of it as everyone having at least one 'gift' that they are particularily good at. Maybe I'm just an idealist. And, honestly, I like hearing everyone's stories about their 'gifted' kids -- usually the stories (that I hear) are nice rather than tedious. Of course, I also remember back when DD was a baby getting bombarded with weird competitive statements from people like "Oh, she got her first tooth at 4 months? My DD was 3 months." They just made me laugh, though, I didn't really consider that as something to make them 'special'. I do agree with you, it's not how big your bucket is, it's what you do with it. Or however that saying goes.I never really had anyone compare their children with mine, so I don't know really how that feels. My youngest son isn't even on the growth chart for his age and I used to be a little jealous that he wasn't more average sized, except that I had to figure out he is the size he is supposed to be!! My oldest son is a very gifted child, I am not trying to brag,he is very bored in school and can not be in the gifted program because his scores are just below the acceptance score. Teachers, counselors and myself are frustrated because they don't have an outlet for a child in that predicament. I am glad he will be in middle school next year where they might have more advanced classes. But I would never set him up next to someone else to compare because I too believe that kids have their own talents or gifts.I think everyone does has a gift and it does bother me when schools take the low road of one size fits all and don't try to find/encourage the special talents. It is such a thrill to hear a beautiful solo, watch an amazing dance routine, cheer for children at an academic competitions, or see a spectacular service/kick and see the gleam in the eyes of the child who is truly excited about sharing her talents. I don't really get bombarded with stories actually the opposite--folks downplaying kids' talents or saying "yes, but...." Please next time someone pays your child a sincere compliment accept it!
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