This is an interesting post about the downside to growing up as a gifted child. So when people complain about being a gifted kid it could be because as a child they were brought up being told you’re exceptional only to realize as an adult they’re just average. Gifted brains just don’t work the same so they build their skills in a different order.
(via: Pinterest)
It’s a fascinating argument. “Gifted kids” DO get more experience with the world, and research suggests that things like languages are much easier to learn at a young age. So, there’s a chance that a gifted kid might have more luck finding their place in the world. But the part about not being able to learn to fit in socially? Yeah, that’s a thing. I’m not sure it’s because we miss that step and have to go back, or if it’s just that we have brains that are built with less of the ability to see social cues and more ability to reason on our own. But imposter syndrome? Yup.
MANY gifted children also have another diagnosis, often hidden by their giftedness. Lack of social skills can be attributed to being on the autism spectrum (peviously labeled aspergers) or suffering from anxiety or adhd. Gifted kids often grow up afraid to make mistakes. Sometimes they think they are better than other kids because that is what they have been told.
Gifted adults are often nuerodivergent and interpret the world differently. It’s not a waste.
100% me on the second half of this. I wouldn’t say my reading and math skills became completely useless as I aged, but I definitely resonate with being late to develop social skills.
friends abandoned me between middle and high school when I didn’t want to grow out of toys and into boys. Then when i realized what they wanted me to be into, they called me a slut for chasing boys.
handling peer conflicts especially is difficult.
I’ve always been confused when I hear a child is gifted because of how much they like to read. It’s like, okay, that’s a nice hobby to have, but why are you so impressed that they can do a thing 90% of modern humans are able to do? Come back to me when they solve the Riemann Hypothesis, and then we’ll talk…
First time I’ve read about this, and I’m sitting here wondering, is this me? I honestly battle with the imposter syndrome thing daily. Even when I’m not working, I always think to myself, “Someone must know I’ve got no clue what I’m doing and any day now they’re going to bring the hammer down on me.” I grew up being “talented” at art. But I never really thought I was any good at it. I’d look at artwork made by other students in my school, and even entries in art contests and I’d literally think I had no business even submitting one of my pieces. I’ve always been just interested enough and smart enough to learn enough to make my way through, but I always feel outclassed and outside of my league, so I’d wind up stopping at some point. But if this is me, and this is why I’m messed up inside, what the hell can I do to fix anything?