We all want the best for our children. Every parent dreams of their kids grasping concepts quickly and showing an impressive curiosity about the world. When kids have a high IQ, it seems like they will have a promising future of success and impressive accomplishments. On the one hand, high intelligence opens many doors. However, raising a gifted child comes with unique challenges.
If you’re familiar with the definitions of IQ scores, you can check the MyIQ website to find out what scores your children have. This will give you an understanding of whether your kid needs a special approach to upbringing.
Unfortunately, a high score on the test doesn’t automatically mean your kid will succeed in life. On the contrary, it often comes with social, emotional, and academic complexities that parents should navigate.
The gifts of high intelligence
Rapid learning and curiosity
The biggest benefit is that gifted children learn lightning-fast. They can grasp complicated concepts and subjects with minimal explanation. They develop advanced vocabulary at an early age and show great curiosity about the world. High-IQ kids have a deep thirst for knowledge. They are little whyers that seek logical explanations everywhere.
Strong problem-solving abilities
Highly intelligent kids tend to be excellent problem-solvers. They can quickly analyze circumstances, think critically, and come up with creative solutions that can impress their parents. Such a skill helps them in numerous subjects including Math and Science. They also possess strategic thinking from a young age.
Advanced memory and focus
Brainy children have exceptional memory and concentration skills. It allows them to remember large amounts of information and stay engaged in tasks for longer periods. It shows a drastic difference between them and children with average IQ scores who lose focus shortly. This feature makes them strong academic performers.
Innovative thinking and creativity
Intellectually gifted kids frequently think outside the box. They come up with unique ideas and find new ways to approach problems. Surely, it’s an asset in both academics and future careers.
Self-motivation and independence
Bright children can chow a strong internal drive to learn and make achievements. They’re often self-motivated. They prefer to pursue new knowledge on their own rather than wait till someone gives them instructions.
The challenges of raising a highly intelligent child
Social and emotional difficulties
You can always see the difference between gifted children and their peers. This difference can lead to a feeling of isolation. They may find it difficult to find friends who share their interests. In turn, they can have a hard time relating to someone of their age.
Moreover, you can notice that some gifted kids are highly emotionally sensitive. They may experience frustration when they observe the limitations of the world. Additionally, they may experience anxiety over big questions.
Boredom in school
If you’ve seen movies such as Little Man Tate, Gifted, Real Genius, or Good Will Hunting, you’ve seen that parents usually place their bright kids in special programs and universities at an early age. They do this for a reason because children with high IQs grasp the school curriculum in a very short period of time, and regular schools stop challenging them. They simply get bored, which prevents their potential from being fully realized.
If a gifted child is not enrolled in a special program or allowed to start college education early, there is a high likelihood that they will face behavioral issues, frustration, and underperformance.
However, this also leads to another problem: when gifted children begin university at a young age, it reduces their chances of developing social relationships. Universities are filled with teenagers and adults who rarely want to interact with young children, even if they are more intelligent than them.
Difficulty accepting authority or rigid structures
Many highly intelligent children have their own opinions and a deep sense of logic. In turn, it makes them question social norms, rules, and authority. Certainly, those are great traits for adults but not for kids since they can make their classroom behavior challenging. They may challenge educators, reject doing repetitive tasks, and resist traditional learning methods.
Perfectionism and fear of failure
High-IQ kids become used to excelling. Because of that, they may develop perfectionist traits. It’s also a great characteristic but only when you don’t overdo it with perfectionism. If they overdo it, they may become overly critical to themselves, fear making mistakes and errors, and even avoid challenges because of the risk of failure. It can all lead to:
- Self-doubt;
- Anxiety;
Emotional intensity and existential questions
Usually, individuals start thinking about complex moral and philosophical questions when they’re grown-ups. Unlike them, gifted children may start reflecting on such matters at an early age. They may start questioning life, death, and the universe in ways their peers do not. Eventually, it can lead to:
- Deep emotions;
- Existential anxiety;
- Feelings of being misunderstood.
Final thoughts
If your kid has a high IQ, it’s both a gift and a challenge. Coincidently, your child can have exceptional problem-solving skills and feel socially isolated, have advanced learning skills but feel bored learning at a conventional school. As a parent, you should not only celebrate their intelligence but also support their emotional growth and help them find balance.