Are You Raising a Gifted Bully?
Bullying has been in the news a lot lately. It has been around since man had his first sentient thought. It has always been an ugly reminder that being human does not mean we are kind, compasionate creatures. Unfortunately, bullying is all too often ignored or swept under the rug as something each of us just has to 'deal with'.
Most people see bullies as being the bad kid on the block who intimidates weaker kids on the block or the jock who is always picking on the nerdy kid. However, gifted kids can be bullies, too.
An important part of raising a gifted child is to guide them toward an understanding of what it means to be gifted. If you encourage them to believe they are better than everyone else based upon their intellectual abilities without regard to the responsibility it brings, you may be raising a bully.
Sure, gifted children are bullied by their peers. However, parents of these children need to teach them the social skills to understand how to deal with bullies and not succomb to their level of behavior.
I cringe when I hear gifted kids disparage those kids who are in Learning Support. It happens much more often than people realize since the push for inclusion has become the standard in most schools. It is heartbreaking to see a child be called a 'retard' who doesn't have the mental capacity to 'deal with it'.
I am not saying that all gifted kids are bullies. What I am saying is that parents of gifted children have the responsibility to make sure their child does the right thing when it comes to bullying - tell an adult immediately if they are bullied and tell their parents. And above all, respect the gifts they have and act as a positive role model for those around them.
Most people see bullies as being the bad kid on the block who intimidates weaker kids on the block or the jock who is always picking on the nerdy kid. However, gifted kids can be bullies, too.
An important part of raising a gifted child is to guide them toward an understanding of what it means to be gifted. If you encourage them to believe they are better than everyone else based upon their intellectual abilities without regard to the responsibility it brings, you may be raising a bully.
Sure, gifted children are bullied by their peers. However, parents of these children need to teach them the social skills to understand how to deal with bullies and not succomb to their level of behavior.
I cringe when I hear gifted kids disparage those kids who are in Learning Support. It happens much more often than people realize since the push for inclusion has become the standard in most schools. It is heartbreaking to see a child be called a 'retard' who doesn't have the mental capacity to 'deal with it'.
I am not saying that all gifted kids are bullies. What I am saying is that parents of gifted children have the responsibility to make sure their child does the right thing when it comes to bullying - tell an adult immediately if they are bullied and tell their parents. And above all, respect the gifts they have and act as a positive role model for those around them.
Usually it's the other way around where the gifted child is the one who is bullied but the kids put blame on the gifted child to make it seem like the gifted child was the one doing it.
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