You Need To Listen to your gifted child

I think any mom would say they try to listen to their kids. Whether they are gifted or not. But I think you have to try harder with a gifted kid. Because gifted kids are usually pretty intellectual. Which means they talk about stuff that you and I do not understand. Or they have so much going on in their head that you can barely keep track of their train of thought. But you have to try your best to listen to your gifted child.

Why it is especially hard to listen to these kiddos

I already pointed out why it is hard to listen to your gifted kiddo. But it can be so difficult for so many reasons. First, their imagination is huge. My son makes up a whole video game in his head in a matter of minutes. And then he will tell me the complete game from start to finish. And it usually takes at least two hours to go through the whole thing. Do you know how hard it is to actively listen to someone for that long?

Gifted kiddos also tend to get obsessed about one certain thing. And then want to tell you about all the things. My son is obsessed with video games. And he programs his own games on a program called Scratch. He loves to tell me exactly what he coded and how if he codes this, then the character will do that. I can barely understand what he is talking about. And he talks about it all the time. But I keep listening.

Why You need to listen closely

I already said how it is important to listen to your gifted child. But it is so important because gifted kiddos are usually very sensitive. They realize if you aren’t listening. My son loves to ask me what the last thing was that he said. Just to make sure I am listening. You can’t get away with just an “uh huh” every so often with these gifted kids. You need to respond with patience.

The most important reason you need to listen to your gifted child is because some day, they might quit talking to you. They might grow past what you know. Or they will become someone that withdraws within himself and not talk to anyone.

I can’t let this happen to my son. I won’t let him give up on his mom and quit talking to me. So I keep actively listening, and trying my hardest to understand what he is saying. It isn’t easy, but it is worth it.

Vanessa is a Doctor of Pharmacy who champions natural health. She lives with her husband of 18 years as well as her 12 & 15 year old sons. She aspires to encourage moms on their journey to family wellness through holistic health and essential oils.