5 Things a Gifted Adult Says

What happens when a gifted kid reaches voting age? Or drinking age? Or gets his first “real” job? What happens when his pre-frontal cortex finally finishes developing?

Does a gifted kid's giftedness just fade away?

Nope. 

A gifted kid just becomes a gifted adult. 

And if you're around him - or her - long enough, you're likely to hear one of these five things.

1. “The problem is…”

She’s not trying to be a downer, and she’s not saying it can’t be done. (Unless, of course, she is.) More often than not, she’s merely letting you know there’s an issue in getting from Point A to Point B – and that it needs to be considered. But don’t worry. By the time she’s uttered those three little words, she’s already brainstorming possible solutions.

2. “Let me think about that and get back to you.”

You may be looking for a quick answer, but for him, it’s all about the details. He wants to make sure the information he gives is accurate and complete, and that might mean he needs a little time to research all the options or compile his resources. Trust him. His opinion and guidance are worth waiting for.

3. “I need to know everything there is to know about cooking the perfect onion burger.”

Or the Mary Surratt conspiracy theories.

Or oil painting.

Or raising chickens.

She reads something here or sees something there, and before she knows it, she’s hooked and can’t stop herself from learning as much as she can on the subject. You name it (except don't - she’s too intrinsically motivated to appreciate being assigned research topics), and she becomes a self-taught expert. She just needs to KNOW. And once she does, she’s likely to move on to a different obsession interest.

4. “I've been thinking about what you said, and…”

Not only does he have a tough time turning off his brain, everything he sees, reads, or experiences is interconnected. Since that conversation you two had, he’s had hundreds of hits on that circuit – through both old memories and new input. For him, that exchange wasn’t in the past; it’s part of the grid, and it’s current.

5. “It’s too much.”

The street lamp outside her bedroom window? Too much light. That ticking clock? Too much noise. A gory crime drama? Too much violence. Too much desperation. Too much tragedy. She’s extremely sensitive, and more likely than not, she’s also sensitive about her sensitivities. But those big feelings aren’t all bad. They can lead the way to some amazing and beautiful things.

Of course, in your experiences with a gifted adult, you may find there are many times, you hear nothing at all - he's absolutely silent. Stick with him though. There’s a lot going on inside that head of his, and when he finally does speak, what he says could be pretty darn awesome.

I’d like to give special thanks to my husband, my family, and so many of my friends for inspiring this post. And, yes, it's true, I've been known to say a few of these things, myself.

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*I alternated "he" and "she" for ease of writing. In no way do I believe that any of these examples describe solely female or male characteristics.