ABSTRACT
All children need love and reassurance even when they think they are—and sometimes are—smarter than their parents. Some gifted children may even struggle with relaxing or resting because their minds are thinking of many things at the same time. Gifted children “ask questions that reflect the big picture and think in concepts more than with details,” stated Cecelia Boswell, former building principal and district administrator. Gifted children can set very high, sometimes even unrealistic, expectations for themselves, perhaps getting upset when making a 98 on a test instead of a 100. Jennifer Sheffield, educator, described gifted children as “often highly critical with a fear of failure.” At times, it may be hard for a gifted child to understand why her same-age peers are not as upset about what happened in play practice as she is; at other times, however, gifted kids can be intuitive and empathize with others’ feelings and moods.
