The Gifted Parenting Journey

Book excerpt: In "The Gifted Parenting Journey: A Guide to Self-discovery and Support for Families of Gifted Children," clinical psychologist and parent Gail Post, Ph.D. addresses the needs and emotional life of parents of gifted children. Gifted children can be overwhelming; parents must navigate a maze of heightened intensity, asynchronous development, and astonishing intellectual abilities. These challenges and the emotions they evoke are not always easy to discuss with friends or professionals unfamiliar with giftedness. As a result, parents of gifted children often struggle in relative silence, reluctant to voice their concerns. Most books on raising gifted children focus on the child, paying little attention to the parent's unique experience. This book, instead, will guide parents along their gifted parenting journey, exploring what they might worry about and feel. How they can weather and even thrive despite roadblocks to their child's education, criticism from others based on stereotypes, and their own self-doubts. Understanding their thoughts and feelings - and distinguishing these emotions from what their child needs - is key to making informed parenting decisions. Throughout this book, parents are invited to discover more about their deeper emotions and motivations, what influences their attitudes and expectations, and how certain reactions are elicited in response to the gifted experience. Readers will be prompted to explore questions that should increase self-awareness, and are offered both practical tools for managing their emotions and guidelines for improving their parenting skills. Dr. Post provides the latest research, clinical vignettes, and insight based on decades of experience as a psychologist. Findings from a recent online survey of 428 parents of gifted children, initiated for the purpose of this book, explore what other parents want readers to know. While this book is specifically geared toward parents of the gifted, it also offers guidance for anyone interested in understanding gifted children and their families: grandparents, extended family, caregivers, teachers, and other professionals. The guidance, support, and increased self-awareness acquired through this book should enhance parents' well-being and confidence along their gifted parenting journey.