Introduction

This is truly an exciting time to be working in the field of child development. I enthusiastically believe that times have changed for the betterment of our children. Educators and psychologists  know more about child development and how to apply their knowledge to answering questions such as: What helps children develop into self-actualized and productive members of society?  What types of experiences prevent children from realizing their potential? What are the critical time periods for intervention? What types of intervention give results? Now we have answers.

In a real sense, we can now see that parents are more important than ever because research has demonstrated their power and influence. We now know with great certainty the significance of  appropriate parenting in the child’s development. When children are treated with proper attention and care, they have a chance of finding their true passions, developing meaningful lives, and  contributing to their chosen community. Children who do not receive appropriate parenting or are left to their own devices are not as fortunate, and they have a much harder time finding their  identity in our often troubled and chaotic world.
Parents can no longer take their role lightly. You know that what you do for your children will have an impact. While previous generations felt comfortable following the old rules of parenting or  abdicating their responsibility for parenting to others,this generation has been informed by their own education and the popular press that they must take charge of their decision making to be  effective.

As a parent today, knowledge is your power base. The continuing desire to learn and do the best you can for your child is your hope and reward. Parenting is a challenge for all parents. But parents of gifted children face more challenges and have a greater opportunity to raise children who will really make a difference to our complicated modern world. Specifically, you face serious  challenges helping develop your gifted child’s potential.

Educational Challenges
Educational opportunities for gifted children are—at best—hard to find, uninviting, or boring. At worst, they are poorly organized or even disastrous. Extremely precocious children who are highly  sensitive, curious, and mature far beyond their ages may be easily misunderstood and poorly educated by the schools they attend. Our society bears a subtle but real anti-intellectual  bias against extremely bright children, labeling them “intense,” “demanding,”“misfits,” “nerds,” and “eggheads.” The sad result is that gifted children are not encouraged to develop a unique self-awareness or to further their special potential in mathematics, science, writing, music, technology, or art.

Strange as it may seem, many parents of gifted children are unaware of or indifferent to the importance of utilizing and advancing their child’s gift. Many parents don’t know how to challenge their children to use their analytic, interpersonal, musical, mathematical, or creative skills. Extremely talented kids need to be given opportunities to solve unique problems, to share  their insights, and to create music, poetry, drama, or art that is way beyond what might be expected of a normal child.
There is little room for the gifted student in today’s schools,which focus on the noble but unfair mantra of “equality for all learners,” where bland sameness substitutes for true equality. Confined  to unchallenging curriculum and learning experiences, gifted children immediately suffer from serious boredom. In sharp contrast, your gifted children will soar if they are given tasks that require  demanding learning challenges.
Caring and informed parents can become frustrated with the bureaucracies of public and private schools. Nearly every school has metaphorically built a fortress to keep all parents, whether  helpful or destructive, out of policy making and curriculum design. Parents who want a voice in their children’s schooling don’t know how to get administrators and teachers to respond to the  special needs of the gifted child.