Talent

or How I have tried to Develop and Protect Z's talents -

It is hard to know what to do for a child with talents beyond her age. I have had to make different decisions for her different talents, based on the nature of her talent and the availablity of resources to develop her talent.

Poetry and Oral Expression - Z used to be called Poetry on the gifted boards I frequented because she had a passion for poetry and, it seemed, a talent in expressing herself that way. To develop that talent I have continued to expose Z to many different styles of poetry and verse. From Robert Louis Stevenson and A.A. Milne to The Raven by Poe to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Z regularly reads poetry on her own but these days she is more likely to sing than recite a poem.

Singing - This is a talent that I try to protect more than develop. I have been told she has a great voice for her age. Twice Z had voice teachers and twice I felt like it wasn't a good fit. Both times I felt I would rather her not have any lessons than the wrong type of lessons. The main thing I do in regards to her passion for singing is to give her free time during the day. It is when she has that time that she makes up her long musical style songs and expresses herself. Usually she will sing for about an hour each day. But when we have had a busy week, like last week, I notice that I didn't hear her voice as much and it worries me. So my commitment is to give her free time to be creative.

Languages - Z also had a passion for languages. I remember that before she turned two she was counting to ten and saying common words like Hello, Good-bye, Goodnight, Yes, No, etc in five languages and she was asking to add Russian to it. :) These days we are focusing on Japanese. But she still brings out her Hebrew, French, and Spanish dictionaries and reads them to herself. I am trying to develop this talent by giving her private lessons in Japanese once a week. We have a super wonderful teacher who has custom created an entire curriculum for Z and who is very flexible, which you have to be to keep up with Z. She makes the classes very fun and Z is learning a lot and enjoying it.

Acting - at this point it seems like Z is doing a lot of acting related stuff. Last week I read a good article from a former child actor that gave me a good warning. It said that you can't want it more than they do. That sentence is my guide in all this. I am letting Z's interest in this be my lead. As long as Z is having fun (and it isn't taking too much time out of our life and it isn't having a negative effect on her outlook) then we will keep doing it. We are fortunate to live in Los Angeles so she can try this. Also thre are many local opportunities for children to act, like Shakespeare and musical theatre classes.

Piano - I don't think that Z has a talent for piano. I think she would be as good as she is at piano as any instrument she tried. I do think she is musically talented though and and because she is so strong in singing and making up songs piano seems like a good instrument for her to learn to support and develop herself as a musician

Not really a talent but-

Learning - Z needs mental stimulation like an introvert needs quiet time. She requires it for her happiness and mental health. There is so much that goes into providing Z with her personal learning experience. It requires being very flexible and responsive to her needs. I have to be really tuned in to her. As her mother I feel like we have such a strong connection that I am usually able to pick out just what she needs at the moment or tweak things so that she reponds more positively to them. But I have found that I also enjoy the challenge of playing catch up with her. :) Though I am looking forward to her getting older and taking over more of her own education. That should be interesting.