New Mom to Board: 19 Month Old Toddler

[marcinator18]

First of all can I say THANK GOD FOR THIS BOARD . I know we've all been through the flaming on other boards for saying our kids are advanced and it's such an awful experience. I'm just so glad I have a place to post with other mom's who have similar experiences!!!

I am a member of MENSA and I come from a family of hi IQ folks. So I kind of figured my daughter would probably turn out advanced, and she most definitely seems to be.

Some examples:
* First word at 6 months
* Vocab of +500 words by 14 months
* 19 months - counts to 13, knows all alphabet by sight, basic colors, shapes, recognizes her own written name

The more amazing thing to me are the concepts that she puts together. Like the time a few months ago she told her daycare provider, "happy birthday, jessica" on her actual bday. Or how when you ask her what is a camel's habitat, she'll tell you the "desert....HOT" Just a few that I can think of right now. Or when she was only 13 months and she walks into my room where I'm putting on makeup, puts a toilet paper roll to her mouth and says "Attention!" - I have NO IDEA where she got that!!

So, I'm wondering from those of you mom's out there that are ahead of me here - right now I feel like everything is fine - her daycare seems fine, she seems happy there - but when do I start thinking about "more"? Or do I ever? (until kindergarten?). Should we do Montessori? Just looking for advice.

I live in the Bay Area (SF) and know that waiting lists fill up quick and I would love to be ahead of the game!!!

Thanks Ladies!!!

[LittleBattleAxe]

Welcome

I love the "Attention!" Love it, too cute!

I have three kiddos and two have been officially id'ed as gifted -- one is pg (profoundly gifted) and every year, there is a whole mess o'stuff I have to deal with as far as school goes -- luckily for the most part the teachers have been supportive and great (not always -- but mostly). I have one child id'ed as gifted who is not at all interested in any sort of special services (GT program); she is perfectly happy in her natural "school habitat," to borrow from your LO!

As far as looking ahead, I do wish that someone had told me, when my children were very young, that I would have to equip myself to be their strongest advocate, and that there are some adults who would rather pluck feathers to make these kids fly low than to let them soar as is their instinct.

I love that I can come here and get ideas from other moms and read about the joy that our children bring into the world; I also love that it is a safe place to vent about the unique issues that might come with raising these children.

Look forward to hearing more about your lo -- it sounds as if she might also have a dramatic streak which should make for some entertaining parenting moments!

[marcinator18]

Thank you so much for the support! Ahhh this is a great forum!!!!

Will keep this in mind, and judging from the attitudes of mom's on other boards, I guess I shouldn't be too shocked by the "feather plucking" attitudes of even the teachers and schools...

This is probably why my cousin home schooled her kids....

[RiverTam]

Hi! I'm an M married to an M. We have two boys, who are 8 and 5. Both are gifted.

With my kids, the gifted thing became an issue when DS1 was ready for kindergarten. He was ready at age 4 (already a fluent reader, already writing, already doing simple math) and our school district said he couldn't start until the fall that he was supposed to turn 6, because of birthday cut-offs. I couldn't imagine having this kid wait two years to start school. We enrolled him in a private Montessori that year and haven't looked back. He is a 4th grader this year. (He's turns 8 next week). I'm a big fan of Montessori for gifted kids because it both lets them learn at their own pace and keeps them with their age peers.

You might want to look around at your options. It's never too soon to plan. Montessori starts at age 2.5 or 3 at many schools, so it's definitely time to think about a Montessori primary program.

[physmom]

Originally Posted by marcinator18

So, I'm wondering from those of you mom's out there that are ahead of me here - right now I feel like everything is fine - her daycare seems fine, she seems happy there - but when do I start thinking about "more"? Or do I ever? (until kindergarten?). Should we do Montessori? Just looking for advice.

Welcome! We have a 20 month old and I come here because of her. She's a really high-energy girl and seems to like a lot of things that your DD does.

For us we started down this path because DD had a lot of other stuff going on that we couldn't figure out (wouldn't sleep, sensory issues, very independent etc). Plus, DH and I are both gifted so it wasn't such a novel concept to us. I'm glad I started researching it early on because I've learned a lot (both about myself and what to expect if DD does end up to being gifted). I also learned about overexcitabilites, which explained a lot... She'll be starting in either a preschool or daycare when she turns 2 because I'll be returning to work full-time and we're looking for something very play-based that has mixed-aged groups. She was in a daycare like that in the past and it worked out very well for her. Montessori is also something we're considering. Basically, I really want something that is very child-led. As for her elementary schooling etc we're hoping to find a free/democratic school.

I really don't think you need to do anything specific but I do think following her lead is very important. We frequent the library often and normally leave with about 10 books that she's picked out. She's currently obsessed with dinosaurs and we try to find songs/books/museums that satisfying that interest. Basically, we try not to put age expectations on her and encourage her to follow her interests!

[no5no5]

Welcome.

[RiverTam]

You might want to check your local Mensa group, too, to see if they have any services for parents of gifted kids or playgroups for gifted kids. The folks you'll meet there will be local and will have good, local advice.

[marcinator18]

This is a great idea - thank you. All of you - this board has really gotten me thinking about next steps and has put my mind at ease all at the same time.

I feel really lucky that DD is currently in a play-based daycare that doesn't group strictly by age (I didn't even know what that meant when I chose her school as I was just choosing it based on their infant care!).

[noralou]

Originally Posted by LittleBattleAxe

As far as looking ahead, I do wish that someone had told me, when my children were very young, that I would have to equip myself to be their strongest advocate, and that there are some adults who would rather pluck feathers to make these kids fly low than to let them soar as is their instinct.

Oh wow, this nearly made me cry. "Plucking feathers" really hits home. Any great resource on how to become a gifted child's advocate?