Sarah Herbert Robbins MEd - The Everything Parents Guide to Raising a Gifted Child: All You Need to Know to Meet Your ChildS Emotional, Social, and Academic Needs

THE

RAISING A GIFTED CHILD

Dear Reader,

This book is a compilation of all the research I have done, knowledge I have gained, and wisdom I have gleaned over the last thirty years as a gifted student and gifted educator. I hope that this information can help you better understand and parent your gifted child.

Parenting a gifted child is no easy task. You face long hours, exhausting emotional behaviors, and endless repetitions of the question Why? You might feel like there is no one to turn to who understands what you are going through. My hope is that reading this book will feel like turning to a friend for advice and suggestions as you make those difficult choices parents of gifted children so often face.

The greatest single piece of advice I can give any gifted parent is advice once given to me as a teacher: Remember that a childs giftedness provides an explanation for why they are the way they are, but it is never an excuse. With this book, I hope to help you see how you can have a fuller picture of who your child is in order to train him wisely as a parent to reach his full potential.

Your partner in the journey,

WELCOME TO THE

PARENTS GUIDES

Everything Parents Guides are a part of the bestselling Everything series and cover common parenting issues like childhood illnesses and tantrums, as well as medical conditions like asthma and juvenile diabetes. These family-friendly books are designed to be a one-stop guide for parents. If you want authoritative information on specific topics not fully covered in other books, Everything Parents Guides are your perfect solution.

When youre done reading, you can finally say you know EVERYTHING!

PUBLISHER Karen Cooper
DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS AND INNOVATION Paula Munier
MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing
COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION EDITOR Melanie Cordova
ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Kate Powers
SENIOR DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Brett Palana-Shanahan
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Ross Weisman
EVERYTHING SERIES COVER DESIGNER Erin Alexander
LAYOUT DESIGNERS Colleen Cunningham, Erin Dawson, Michelle Roy Kelly
Elisabeth Lariviere, Denise Wallace

Visit the entire Everything Series at www.everything.com

THE

PARENTS GUIDE TO

RAISING A

GIFTED CHILD

All you need to know to meet your childs emotional, social, and academic needs

Sarah Herbert Robbins, MEd

To my wonderful husband and partner, Mike, who makes me
laugh, try harder, and accomplish great things I could never
do alone, and to my daughter, Debby. I hope this book helps
provide information for underserved gifted children like my
husband, and makes it better for my daughter one day.

This book would not have been possible without the help of some very important people. First and foremost, this book would not be anywhere near as helpful or grammatically accurate without the help of Missy Fox and Denise Hillthank you for taking the time to edit, discuss, and provide suggestions as battle-weary experts still in the trenches of parenting some amazing gifted children. My sister, Molly, spent hours a college student doesnt have encouraging me and helping me correct my rusty writing skills. Im thankful for my years teaching, including the hundreds of terrific, talented kids and parents who made me laugh, taught me what it really means to be gifted, and helped me better understand how to meet the needs of all different students, all the while becoming my friends along the way.

My parents, John and Beth Herbert, continue to be some of the greatest examples of how to parent gifted children to reach their potential. My siblings, Shane, Katy, Matt, Sam, and Molly are still my favorite source for stories and examples of gifted students. I think every class I taught heard the story of Cactus Sam and Mollys Terrible Day when we discussed perseverance and resilience. A special thanks to my husband, who put up with fast food dinners, dirty clothes, and Daddy duties in order to give me time to research and write. I would like to thank my sweet daughter for her patience with a distracted mother, her encouraging smiles with sweet giggles, and her helpful nap schedule. Finally, Im thankful to my Creator who gave me the experiences and talents to make this book possible, while teaching me humility and gratitude.

gifted (gif-tid) adj. Having inborn intelligence, exceptional talent, or natural ability.

W hen parents hear the word gifted in reference to their own child, their first response can be varied. Some parents may get excited, imagining their child becoming a future president, scientist, or writer. They see their childs endless potential stretching out before them. Other parents may be skeptical. My child? Gifted? Have you seen his bedroom? They may doubt the test results and dismiss them, certain that this was some kind of mistake. Still another group of parents may feel overwhelmed, recognizing the weight of the task before them. They may realize the truly awesome responsibility of raising a child whose future has limitless possibilities and on whose shoulders future greatness rests.

Regardless of which category you may fall into, you are here now. You have a child who has been diagnosed as gifted, or you think you might have a child who is gifted. This book will seek to provide answers to the many questions that may be going through your mind.

This book will help you understand what it really means to be gifted, in the clinical sense of the word. Additionally, it will help you to understand the unique traits that gifted children possess. You will also learn how to meet the needs of your gifted child socially, emotionally, and academically.

While this book may not have all the answers to your many questions on raising a gifted child, it will hopefully give you a start to better understanding your wonderfully creative and talented child.

CHAPTER 1