Emotional Rollercoaster

Ellen - posted on 05/05/2009

OK the chapter didn't tell me anything that we haven't discussed on here. Enjoy the ups and be there for the downs.

Kylie - posted on 05/04/2009

My 6 year old is also very emotional and we also worry about the no friends thing. My husband who is extremely social stresses when my son comes home and tells us that he didn't play with anyone. I am torn in two as on questioning him I feel it is more his choice than anything - he does not like dominating characters and so if he doesn't want to do something or play a particular game he will go off on his own. I do not view this as a bad thing but worry that maybe I should be pushing the friendships more. Whenever I take him to parties he is always very popular with both the boys and girls and included in everything - parenting is most definitely hard work. I recently reread Nurture by Nature and it helped me to identify and understand his personality type which is intense. While these years are hard I hold on to the fact that I believe he is going to be an awesome young man - as all of our highly sensitive, intuitive, intelligent boys will be!!!

Ellen - posted on 04/28/2009

I was just starting a chapter on this today in "Guiding the Gifted Child". I'll have to keep reading and get back to you, but apparently it's fairly common. Explains a lot about my son. Tonight at cheer he busted out into tears because someone took his water. I had a spare, but it took a bit to calm him down. Then he went in there and cheered so well he won "Cheerleader says" (like simon says only with cheer stuff). Crying to determined to excited in about 45 minutes. Normal for us.....

Angela - posted on 04/27/2009

I don't have much advice, but agree that he may grow out of it a bit, or a better way to say it may be that he may learn how to handle his emotions better. My oldest is 11.5. He is highly gifted, and extremely sensitive. Although this quality has it's challenges, it is also a wonderful gift. He is so sensitive to the needs and feelings of others. I love that about him. When he was younger, he did get his feelings hurt fairly easily, and he put a ton of pressure on himself to do everything perfectly or he would get so upset. Now he handles things better. He's always been very easy-going about a lot of things, but sensitive when it comes to feelings. Now over the past couple of years he isn't as emotional, although he is still very considerate of others' feelings. My 5 year old (also gifted) is full of emotional outbursts now, much more so than my oldest ever was. Anyway, my point is that your son may grow out of it on his own. It sounds like he's been through a lot this year with your husband's surgery also, so given time his emotions could balance out. You're doing the right thing by keeping an eye on how things are going and doing all you can to help him through these tough preteen years.

Katherine - posted on 04/27/2009

He has always been sensitive and never require anything other than a stern word. He cries at the drop of a hat and he tells us he has no friends yet everywhere we go everyone knows him and wants to talk to him. My husband has had some amputations in the past year and a half and my son got worse then. I think the medication was to help with possible depression over that but the doctor told us that very gifted children at this age tended to have problems dealing with their giftedness and socializing with other not on their level. He hasn't said how long he will have to be on it but I hope age or puberty helps him to level out.

Ragan - posted on 04/27/2009

My son has been in the gifted program at his school since the 1st grade and he is also very sensative.He cries easily and it makes my husband mad because he doesn't want him to be "girlie"He is turning 12 next month and has been slowly growing out of it.At 10 he was very sensative..maybe it's the age.I would be worried about a 10 year old that needs meds to stablize his moods unless they did that because it runs in the family.Will he need this medicine forever? I know that emotional unstability can make a house crazy but I believe with age it gets better.