Gifted Children - Steve Jobs Advice - Parenting.

com

1 of 5

18 Tips for Traveling With Baby

http://www.parenting.com/article/how-raise-gifted-children

Should You Label Your Kid?

Scrapes, Burns, Bites: When to Call the Doc

21 Ways to Get in a Good Mood

(http://www.parenting.com/guides/science-fair-projects)

What makes a child grow into a brilliant adult? Here's how to recognize the genius in your
child (hint: take some advice from Steve Jobs!)
By Christina Vercelletto

comments (85)
(#comments)

Jon Whittle

From Mozart in the womb to Chinese lessons in preschool, there are many parents eager to give their kids a
jump-start on the sort of smarts our modern-day lifestyle equates with success. Sure, we talk about too
much pressure, overscheduling, test stress, why can't kids just be kids anymore, dang it. But few of us are
immune to the competitiveness that seems to have gripped every playground and preschool birthday party
in America. Foreign languages are the new ABC's, kindergarten is the new second grade, 90 is the new 80. I

28-Jul-13 10:13 PM

Gifted Children - Steve Jobs Advice - Parenting.com

2 of 5

http://www.parenting.com/article/how-raise-gifted-children

remember sitting in a play area with another mom when my son was a toddler. The other mom was
crowing: My child knows the whole alphabet. She can count to twenty, recalls Kimberly Brenneman,
Ph.D., an assistant professor at Rutgers University's National Institute for Early Education Research and
education adviser on PBS's Sid the Science Kidclearly no academic slouch herself. I knew my boy would
learn all that eventually. But there was still that part (#) of me that said Crap! Why can't I say that
about my child?
Somehow, in spite of this genius-mania, U.S. students are struggling to keep up with their international
peers. Our children's performance lags behind as we watch countries like Finland, Singapore, and South
Korea churn out the next generation of math and science whizzes, the very skills our new digitally driven
landscape requires. Where have we miscalculated when it comes to smartening up our kids? And when we
say that a child is smart, what do we mean?
Sometimes it's simply that she started talking early, or that she wrote her name when others her age could
barely wield a crayon. But other timesit's that je ne sais quoi. The kid has it: a curious, intuitive, natural
maturity that makes her stand out.
Last fall, when Steve Jobs, the renowned head of Apple and the brains behind the most prized of digital
tools, passed away, pundits around the world sought to define exactly what made him so brilliant. The
answers they often came up with seemed grayer than the computer boxes Jobs so magically transformed.
However you perceive intelligence, the assumption about those who possess it is that they will ace not only
tests but life.
But can it be measured? And what can you do to help your child get it? Read on to find out how you can
develop the genius in your child, from her performance in school to how a trip to the store can be a chance
to build vocabulary, math skills, and money (#) smarts.

more from parenting.com

Building Baby's First Library: 25 Must-Have Books (http://www.parenting.com/gallery/building-babys-first-library25-must-have-books)

20 Best Movies for Families (http://www.parenting.com/gallery/best-movies-for-families)

12-Year-Old Gives Birth on Field Trip (http://www.parenting.com/blogs/show-and-tell/lauren-parentingcom/12-yearold-gives-birth-field-trip)

Raising a Responsible Child (http://www.parenting.com/article/raising-a-responsible-child-21354381)

Age to Potty Train (http://www.parenting.com/article/age-potty-train)
8 Cool Science and Astronomy Toys (http://www.parenting.com/gallery/educational-science-astronomy-toys)

more from our partners

28-Jul-13 10:13 PM

Gifted Children - Steve Jobs Advice - Parenting.com

3 of 5

http://www.parenting.com/article/how-raise-gifted-children

What your babys birth hour indicates (http://pregnant.sg/articles/chinese-time-of-birth-for-baby/) (Pregnant.sg)

Why do babies have birthmarks? (http://pregnant.sg/articles/types-of-birthmarks/) (Pregnant.sg)
5 Messages to My Younger Self About Being a Working Mom (http://blog.citigroup.com/2013/03/wendy-lofgrenaviles-5-messages-to-my-younger-self-about-being-a-working-mom.shtml) (Citi Blog)
Join us at the Simply Her Chatroom - the Parenting Edition (http://www.herworldplus.com/solutions/promotions
/join-us-simply-her-chatroom-parenting-edition) (HerworldPlus)
The impact of having kids at an older age (http://www.newrepublic.com/article/politics/magazine/110861/how-olderparenthood-will-upend-american-society) (The New Republic)
5 Italian restaurants to visit (http://www.hungrygowhere.com/dining-guide/what-to-eat/5-italian-restaurants-to-bookonline-*aid-14783f00/) (HungryGoWhere)
[what's this] (javascript:void(0))

28-Jul-13 10:13 PM

Gifted Children - Steve Jobs Advice - Parenting.com

4 of 5

http://www.parenting.com/article/how-raise-gifted-children

103 comments
Add a comment...
Post to Facebook

Posting as Nathan Wong (Not you?)

Mama Pea Pod

Yes! A must-read for all parents!
Reply

4 Like Follow Post February 6 at 2:31am

John Lebro

Top Commenter Tampa, Florida

When I was in the 1st grade. I had no idea if I was a smart kid, or a slow
learner. To me I was just one of many kids in a class. And excited about
starting school. The teacher asked if anyone knew the alphabet. I raised my
hand ,and was so excited when she picked me to recite it. So I stood up
and recited it the way I was taught. I was taught to sing it. When I was
done. I was actually scolded for singing it, and not saying it. After that. I
very rarely raised my hand again. I am 60 now. And I remember it like it
was yesterday. Thank You Miss Still
Reply

22 Like Follow Post February 9, 2012 at 2:48am

Andrea Bell Zanati Douglaston, New York
great message, and i hope many, many people read your post,
john: that squelching creativity comes in many forms....from
controlling teachers who are more concerned with strict rules
than wonderfulness.... to parents who don't recognize curiosity
and label it as misbehavior and hit their 2 year olds. our
younger daughter corrected her teacher in nursery school when
she said porqupines had "spines". she said "quills" outloud
several times but was never recognized. she was 4 and had
read so many books by that time it was amazing. we always
talk, talk, talked to her and shared her enthusiasm for learning.
i'm delighted to tell you all she is a teacher.....an extraordinary
teacher who loves to watch the little ones blossom.
Reply

3 Like February 9, 2012 at 6:29am

Andres Gonzalez Franco Universidad Cooperativa de

Colombia
years back, a cousin of mine draw a lot red and yellow lines
going upwards and showed it to her dad, he didnt even bother
to ask and said it was nonsense. Actually she was spot on, it
was a fire. Yes we can all make mistakes but please if u dont
understand something JUST ASK!!!
Reply Like July 13 at 12:41am
myliu888 (signed in using yahoo)
Genius have gifted abilities, therefore, the title is incorrect, as it gives the
impression that you can raise one. You cannot. You can only provide a
condusive environment for the gifted abilities to blossom.
Reply

7 Like Follow Post February 9, 2012 at 1:51am

Phil Kober

Top Commenter Valparaiso University

I am a left amused by some of the people who are designated as gifted by

others. I learned how to read when I was 3-4 years old but nobody taught
me I learned from reading the "Chicago Tribune" and asking my parents
about words I couldn't figure out! When I was in first and second grade I
was in a reading group by myself. I remember sitting in the back of the
room in second grade while all the other kids sat around the two big round
tables in their reading groups -- They were reading "Dick and Jane", I was
reading Robert Louis Stevenson "A Treasure Island". I read the
Encyclopaedia Britannica -- my dad was one of their top executives -- for
pleasure! My dad provided me with all kinds of books on a variety of
subjects at an early age, but I read them on my own. In seventh and eighth
grade while others were doing very simple algeb... See More

28-Jul-13 10:13 PM

Gifted Children - Steve Jobs Advice - Parenting.com

5 of 5

http://www.parenting.com/article/how-raise-gifted-children

28-Jul-13 10:13 PM