Freedom

This morning we woke up to a winter wonderland, in November! This is the earliest in the season I can remember having snow since I was a kid. The boys were very excited. We had a very productive morning, since I could keep saying, "The more time you waste on school work, the less time you'll have outside!" If only it would snow every day..... Today we were very happy to have the flexible schedule that allowed us to play in the snow when it was still daylight. If they were locked up in a traditional classroom, they wouldn't have gotten off the bus until 30 minutes before sunset.

I didn't enjoy the snow as much as they did. At least not last night. I was in Harrisburg attending a group viewing of a SENG hosted webinar by Dr. James Webb titled, "Common Misdiagnoses and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: What Parents, Educators and Psychologists Need to Know." The drive home in the premature wintry weather was not much fun, however, it was a great night out for me. I was able to spend time with friends that I don't often see due to our geographic mismatch.

Far too many gifted children are misunderstood by medical professionals and end up diagnosed with psychological problems that they don't have. I have often wondered if JT's endless need to move and difficulty in focusing on my directions meant he had ADHD. After this webinar, I'm pretty certain he is a normal, gifted child. If you are wondering the same about any quirky behaviors your child has, I suggest reading a little about Dabrowski's overexcitabilities. These intense traits may make our children hard to live with on a daily basis, but after taking the time to explore these characteristics I can better appreciate the special needs my children have.