Resources For Parenting Your Gifted/2e Child

Welcome to the wonderful world of having a gifted/2e child! I know it doesn’t feel wonderful at times. It sometimes feels overwhelming, frustrating, and bewildering. The reality is these children offer us a unique opportunity to grow as individuals and parents. Below is a collection of posts that I hope will encourage you as you seek to effectively parent your own gifted/2e child.

I also have an extensive page dedicated specifically to Resources For Parenting Your 2e Child. Children who are 2e have their own set of unique needs and I address many of those on that page.

Creating a Cozy Life for a Gifted/2e Child

The overarching theme of my website is creating a simple and cozy homeschool life filled with peace, understanding, and joy. Gifted and twice-exceptional  children can especially benefit from this kind of home life. Home is often a sanctuary for gifted/2e kids who can struggle to fit in in the rest of the world around them, especially school.

These three posts are foundational to what I do here and each one builds on the others. Each post has a unique download that will encourage you. Even if you don’t homeschool and don’t plan to homeschool, I believe each one will help you think through how to create a home life that best supports your gifted child and his/her needs.

• Creating a Cozy Life – Getting Started
• Enjoying a Simple Homeschool
• Why Differently Wired Children Need a Simple Life

Please remember the inclusion of a book, website, or link is not an endorsement of all the content.

Parenting Gifted and Twice-Exceptional (2e) Children

These are general posts I have written about giftedness/2e children since understanding my own child is gifted. This list includes posts primarily about parenting and family.

• Gifted Women Struggling with Motherhood and Homeschooling
• 6 Ways Having a Gifted Child Changed My Life 
• Adjusting Expectations as the Parent of a Gifted Child 
• Gifted Children and Transitions 
• Gifted Children Don’t Know Life Any Other Way
• Giftedness and Family Relationships 
• Living Simply with a Gifted Child 
• Of Eosinophilic Esophagitis, a Gifted Child, and a Husband Trying to Keep Up 
• The Joys of a Gifted Child 
• When You Begin to See Your Child as a Problem to Be Solved

Gifted/2e Children Testing and Therapy

There are many opinions regarding whether or not children should be tested for giftedness. We opted for testing for some very specific reasons which I explain in these posts. I also explore the positives and negatives from our experiences.

• Discovering Your Child is Gifted – Does it matter?
• No One Understands Your Child Like You – The Downsides of Gifted Child Testing
• Occupational Therapy for Dysgraphia or Writing Problems 
• Should I Have My Gifted Child Tested?

Gifted/2e Children and Learning, Education, and Homeschooling

Having a gifted or 2e child will have a tremendous impact on your educational choices. These posts deal with testing, learning, education, and homeschooling a gifted/2e child.

• 5 Tips for Homeschooling a Gifted Child 
• 100 Reasons to Homeschool Your Gifted Daughter
• Classical Conversations and Why We Didn’t Join 
• Gifted Children in the Classroom from a Teacher’s Perspective 
• Gifted Children Who Don’t Fit Grade Level Parameters 
• Homeschooling a Gifted/2e Visual-Spatial Learner 
• My Child Hates Busy Bags (and Other Gifted Child Realities)
• Relaxed Homeschooling Curriculum for a Creative Gifted Child 
• The Loneliness of Homeschooling a Gifted Child
• When Homeschooling is Hard – The Day I Called the Public Elementary School 
• Wholesome Reading for Visual Learners 

Raising Gifted Children In The Christian Faith

In this series, I looked at the unique challenges we have faced raising a gifted child in the Christian faith. Church settings are often a challenge for gifted/2e children. Gifted children also face truth, questions and death differently than neuro-typical children. How do we effectively disciple our gifted children in the Christian faith? What do we do when meeting our child’s needs runs directly contrary to the expectations of a church’s leadership and membership? How do we handle the tough spiritual questions that often come much earlier than we would expect?

• Raising Gifted Children in the Christian Faith
• Thinking about Gifted/2e from a Christian Perspective
• Discipling Gifted and 2e Children in the Christian Faith
• Gifted and 2e Children at Church
• Gifted and 2e Children Asking Hard Spiritual Questions
• Children Who Struggle with Church (An Update)

Perspectives On Parenting A Gifted Child – A Series Of Personal Stories

I find it very helpful to learn about the experiences of other parents. I asked parents to share their stories about what it is like to parent a gifted child. The result is an interesting mix of stories that are completely different, but also share numerous similarities.

• Perspectives on Parenting a Gifted Child – A Series of Personal Stories Introduction
• The Key Was Understanding Twice-Exceptional (2e) – Sallie’s Story
• Writing at Age 2 Wasn’t in the Baby Books – Kathleen’s Story
• Missing the Gifted Overexcitabilties – Doresa’s Story 
• Profoundly Gifted is a Whole New Ballgame – Cait’s Story
• Embracing the Gifted Label – Renee’s Story
• Parenting Multiple Gifted Children – Heather’s Story

Gifted Women – A Series Of Personal Stories

All gifted children face challenges, but gifted girls face their own unique set. I asked for stories from gifted woman and received this wonderful group. These women wrote about their experiences and what they would tell parents of gifted daughters. The following stories are honest and thought-provoking.

• Gifted Women – A Series of Personal Stories
• Giftedness, Loneliness, and Faith – Christy’s Story
• Gifted, Different, and Imposter Syndrome – Vanessa’s Story
• Gifted, Depressed, and Embracing Individuality – Julia’s Story
• Gifted/2e, Stealth Dyslexia, and a Mother’s Support – Nicole’s Story
• Embracing Multipotentiality as a Gifted Adult – Heather’s Story
• Discovering Giftedness as an Adult – Mary’s Story

Parenting A Differently Wired Child

Before I realized Caroline was gifted, I wrote quite a bit about children who are wired differently. These posts are also highly relevant to the gifted child as well.

• Identifying and Understanding the Red Zone with Your Spirited Child
• The Reality of Holiday Overwhelm for Highly Sensitive Children
• When Attending Church is Painful – Highly Sensitive Children and Adults
• Raising a Highly Sensitive and Spirited Child
• Raising a Spirited Child and Feeling Like a Bad Mother
• Getting Spirited Children to Sleep and Related Challenges
• Raising and Embracing Your Spirited Child
• Encouragement for Parents of Differently Wired Children
• Highly Sensitive Children, Shy Children, and Spanking

Homeschooling Children Who Learn Differently

We homeschool because we believe it is the best choice for our daughter and family. These are posts I wrote about homeschooling before I knew she was gifted. They touch on many of the same issues and opportunities faced by gifted parents.

• The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling a Right Brain Child
• Homeschool Curriculum for a Right Brained, Spirited Child
• A Sample Kindergarten Homeschool Schedule for a Creative, Dreamer Child
• Must Have Items for Homeschooling a Creative Girl
• Why I Homeschool in the Afternoon and Not the Morning
• Teaching Our Spirited, Active Child to Read
• Our Family’s Experience with Minecraft
• Are You Choosing the Wrong Learning Materials for Your Child?

Books About Parenting Gifted Children