If you know me, you know my two favorite parenting mantras are I’m raising underachievers and My kids aren’t gifted. By those statements I mean I try to give my kids a break from Advanced Placement Dr. Seuss, Accelerated Counting, toddler soccer clinics and other early pressure.
My kids may or may not be crazy-gifted, but they’ll learn their talents as they grow, not while they learn to walk.
So, I was intrigued by the new book Hothouse Kids: The Dilemma of the Gifted Child, by Alissa Quart ($16.47 on Amazon.com). A former gifted child herself – she was writing novels at age 7 – Quart questions whether kids benefit from the gifted track.
“What? Deny your child any advantage? Today Mozart serenades fetuses, babies use sign language before they babble, and kids have so many scheduled activities that recess is just a fond memory. But does enriching your child create a kid who is truly special or one who is especially distressed? Nurturing children into following their bliss is different than pushing them into a mold, argues Quart, and parents need to know the difference.” — Blurb for Hothouse Kids.
Holt examines new levels of gifted kids, those “terrifyingly” and “severely” so, and talks with them, such as a 4-year-old who sold a painting for $300,000.
What do folks think? We all read about how kids are overscheduled, but do we turn around and sign them up for things like baby chess? I know I have. Drop me an email or post your comments.