It’s all good and well going along and discovering quite early on that you have an exceptionally gifted child on your hands to deal with here and I’m talking about the type of exceptionalism that can be seen by people beyond those who care the most about the children. As a parent, your child is special by default, but you’ll very quickly know when you’re dealing with an exceptional case, such as extreme talent in some or other area or even extreme good looks.

Luckily, for the most part children just instinctively know how to deal with cases of having discovered their talents very early on, especially if they receive the kind of support which allows them to pursue and nurture their talents. It generally doesn’t go to their heads, even if they go on to really shine in their area of exceptionalism, which is a good thing, generally.

As a parent however it is your duty to make sure that the exceptionalism is kept in check and managed properly, because sometimes the pressures of this world outweigh the natural instinct we’re born with to be able to handle such situations. It’s a rather delicate situation, but by no means is it an impossible one to manage, requiring one of two approaches really.

First gauge the response

The approach you’re going to take in dealing with your exceptionally gifted child depends on how they respond to their exceptionalism, or more specifically how they respond to the manner in which their exceptionalism is received. A child (no matter how old they are, in actual fact) responds either by acting as if their exceptional gift will open doors for them just by virtue of them possessing that talent, or they respond a little more positively by working ever harder to try and further improve on their gift or talent.

Reeling them in

As hard as it may be, it’s your duty to stop the creation of a monster in-the-making if you notice that your child’s exceptionalism is going to their head. Be the one to tell them that they can’t “eat their good looks” perhaps, in the case of them being constantly reminded of their attractiveness and get other family members in on it too. They should get some good grounding through the simple things, like being made to wash the dishes and do other chores.

There’s no harm in adding just a bit of fuel to the fire and boosting their confidence every now and then, but from you the praising of their exceptionalsim should come with guidance.

Nurturing the talent

If your child responds positively to the praises they get with regards to their exceptional gifts by pursuing those gifts with determination and diligence, all you can do is offer your full support, which means you might have to make some sacrifices to perhaps get them to that audition across the country or buy them that super expensive piece of sporting equipment that will help them perform better.

Balance is still required though, so they must be reminded to pursue other elements of life.