Child Genius

red_devil

id love to play scrabble with the girl who was the champion.:D

esmerelda98

Lou67 wrote: »

I do hate people being selected as better than others though; it does nothing for the self esteem of the others. Like, I don't even like Mother of the Year awards and stuff like that: somebody being labelled as better than others leaves a bad taste in the mouth,

A register may not be the best way of going about it, but I definitely think it is absolutely crucial that schools identify the strengths and weaknesses of their pupils, in order to help them achieve their full potential.

Many parents pick up on and encourage their child's interests and skills but some can't be bothered, can't afford to or are so bogged down with difficulties they never get round to it. I think it is a tragedy that a child with a natural ability and the right attitude fails to even have the chance to excel because of an unfortunate background.

The thing to remind children and even ourselves is that everyone has something they are quite good at, whether that be sport, something creative, an easy-going sociable nature (not to be under-estimated, IMO), even 'street-smart'. As regards the 'gifted', most are not very good at something. They are human too.

pigpen

Having been in that position it is very damaging for the siblings, or was for my siblings. My sister now classes herself as stupid and thick and useless because our youngest sister was given more opportunities than the rest of us got.. which caused a LOT of resentment between us. I am a fair bit older so was less affected by her parents indulging her with music lessons and dance lessons and private schools which the rest of us all would have liked the opportunity to experience... I wanted to learn piano so she got lessons, My teacher suggested I sit the entrance exam to the private school so she did it.. needless to say she was kicked out for non-attendance after being bullied.. at uni they called her 'Freaky Hannah' kind of says it wasn't all just us being jealous and resentful!

'Genius' sister is now a barrister, works in London, I've seen her twice in 3 years. She is socially inept. She cannot maintain any relationship other than with similar types of person. She was a horrible precocious brat of a child.. not much has changed as an adult.

The rest of us are perfectly normal (whatever that entails) capable responsible adults, 3 of us have children of our own and homes.

I do think it will all fall to pieces when these children stop being their parents puppet and start to think for themselves and develop a mind of their own.

A follow up when they are all 18/20ish would be interesting when they have rebelled against their parents destroying of their childhood.

At 2 my oldest could name every make and model of car that was placed in front of him.. He could read and write fluently and legibly by 3.. He is intelligent but I preferred he had a childhood. I deleted someone off my fb who was one of 'those' types of parent.. it sickened me she could not allow her small child to be a child.

securityguy

esmerelda98 wrote: »

Many parents pick up on and encourage their child's interests and skills but some can't be bothered, can't afford to or are so bogged down with difficulties they never get round to it.

Given the choice between that, and the typical pushy parent of allegedly "gifted" children, I'm not sure which I'd prefer.

securityguy

pigpen wrote: »

A follow up when they are all 18/20ish would be interesting when they have rebelled against their parents destroying of their childhood.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1042593/The-heart-breaking-moment-I-realised-mother-cut-forever-violin-virtuoso-Vanessa-Mae.html

unschooler

fluffnutter wrote: »

I didn't watch the programme but a preview of it mentioned a child who could name every king and queen since William I. That doesn't make you a genius! That makes you someone who's learnt a list of stuff.

:rotfl: Or just a kid who likes tv. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDyoOLOW8nU

lostinrates

pigpen wrote: »

Having been in that position it is very damaging for the siblings, or was for my siblings. My sister now classes herself as stupid and thick and useless because our youngest sister was given more opportunities than the rest of us got.. which caused a LOT of resentment between us. I am a fair bit older so was less affected by her parents indulging her with music lessons and dance lessons and private schools which the rest of us all would have liked the opportunity to experience... I wanted to learn piano so she got lessons, My teacher suggested I sit the entrance exam to the private school so she did it.. needless to say she was kicked out for non-attendance after being bullied.. at uni they called her 'Freaky Hannah' kind of says it wasn't all just us being jealous and resentful!

'Genius' sister is now a barrister, works in London, I've seen her twice in 3 years. She is socially inept. She cannot maintain any relationship other than with similar types of person. She was a horrible precocious brat of a child.. not much has changed as an adult.

The rest of us are perfectly normal (whatever that entails) capable responsible adults, 3 of us have children of our own and homes.

I do think it will all fall to pieces when these children stop being their parents puppet and start to think for themselves and develop a mind of their own.

A follow up when they are all 18/20ish would be interesting when they have rebelled against their parents destroying of their childhood.

At 2 my oldest could name every make and model of car that was placed in front of him.. He could read and write fluently and legibly by 3.. He is intelligent but I preferred he had a childhood. I deleted someone off my fb who was one of 'those' types of parent.. it sickened me she could not allow her small child to be a child.

I think this is a difficult situation. I think you have made some unconventional choice pig pen and voice opinions I would describe as different from social norm.

I think many people would regard working as a barrister an achievement and it might simply be that the outlook between this member of your family and rest of you are so different there is no middle ground left. Many people only maintain relationships with their social peers, and depending on you sibling's area of law she may indeed be dealing with people who are not who some might consider her 'social peers' regularly. I'm not sure why family members with so little love lost would strive to see each other more regularly either.

There are lots of really interesting points raised through out the thread.

I think many children might behave in a . Way that their parents would cringe at with so much attention from cameras and adults making a programme about how 'special' they are. I too have been in environments much of my childhood where pushy parents were part of the scene, but often this starts from them recognising their children need more stimulation and them being so used to having to push for it that it almost becomes a habit. IMe an environment where the parents were more removed from the situation and the children viewed as 'nothing special' by merit of being educated alongside their peers had other pitfalls. Raising children of any description is surely full of swing and roundabout choices, and unexpected snakes and ladders?

pigpen

lostinrates wrote: »

I think this is a difficult situation. I think you have made some unconventional choice pig pen and voice opinions I would describe as different from social norm.

I think many people would regard working as a barrister an achievement and it might simply be that the outlook between this member of your family and rest of you are so different there is no middle ground left. Many people only maintain relationships with their social peers, and depending on you sibling's area of law she may indeed be dealing with people who are not who some might consider her 'social peers' regularly. I'm not sure why family members with so little love lost would strive to see each other more regularly either.

There are lots of really interesting points raised through out the thread.

Oh I am very proud of what she has achieved as are we all and we all love her dearly .. but that doesn't detract from the fact we could all have achieved the same or more given the opportunities she had.. which has left a bitter taste in our mouths.. there are 6 of us.. not just her.

I don't think anyone would feel any differently had they grown up in such a family being constantly told they are inadequate and constant comparison. I do think the 2 siblings between myself and this sister fared worst in the whole scheme of things. It is not good for ones self esteem.

I can't help but think that stuffing your child in front of a camera to boast or show off their abilities is sickening.. but I feel the same about most people shown in the media lol.

Lagoon

I'm very interested in this 'Gifted and Talented' register, actually. What exactly does it involve, and how long has it been going?

When I was young, the term used for me was 'child genius'. I didn't know any other people with that label, or anyone on my 'level'. As I said earlier, I was socially inept, and shunned by others my age for various reasons. If 'Gifted and Talented' registers existed, I guess I just lived in too small a town.

Being 'gifted and talented' sounds a little more inclusive, and it seems that more people are being given that label. Is it a success? Does it encourage socialisation? Is it a chance for the more 'intelligent' children to meet others on their wavelength? Is it useful for the continued motivation of people that have got talent worth nurturing?

Like someone else on this thread, I forget who (sorry!), when I quickly stopped caring when I reached secondary school, I had no experience of 'effort'. I just drifted through, frustrating teachers that knew I had more potential.

As an adult, I'm level with everyone else. What I believe was the case for me was that I had intelligence seven years ahead of my peers up until the age of 11 or 12, when the gap slowly narrowed until I was in adulthood and average. I'm interested to know what being 'gifted and talented' entails, and whether it continues to motivate children when they'd usually be going through teenage apathy.

kitschkitty

To me the behaviours of a couple of the boys just screamed Aspergers, but no-one else seems to have noticed or mentioned it.

The way some of the parents relationships with their children were portrayed made me somewhat depressed, and also I just didn't get the point of the programme, it didn't actually seem very positive (for the children or anyone/anything else).