My daughter is many things. A gifted girl is just one of them but it is through this prism that we, and she, views things. When I talk about things gifted I use this prism. Including when I talk about gifted children and sports.
How She Sees Herself
My daughter self-identifies as a nerd and a geek.
Not as a creative girl. She has never, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating, finished a school art project on time. But she’s taken up crocheting. I’ve got a lot of potholders.
Not as a country girl. She loves the city and wants to live in a loft downtown. But she loves visiting the countryside. For short periods of time. Really short.
Not as an athletic girl. It’s taken a while to find her sporty side. It’s sports are a huge part of who she is but she’s given it the old college try. Here’s a rundown of what she’s been through.
Our Sporting History
- T-Ball – She started just after she turned 3 and continued for three seasons. The first two seasons she cried at every game. Usually because she worried she didn’t have enough sunscreen on. You can read about our experience here.
- Gymnastics – This lasted six weeks. There was zero way she was ever going to become inverted. Not even to do a somersault. She liked the trampoline and the leotard. That was it.
- Ballet – Dang she looked cute! This lasted about a year-and-a-half but the logistics became too much for our schedules and she didn’t enjoy it enough to make it a higher priority.
- Basketball – Her dad coached her kindergarten basketball team. She was the only girl and frustrated the boys didn’t want the team name to be the Purple Butterflies. The Purple Dragons was the compromise. She made it through the entire season without ever touching the ball during a game. She did shout from the court during a game, “Hey Mom, what font do you think they used on that poster?” They lost. Still a sore spot with my husband.
- Swimming – Six months of private swim lessons = able to get face wet while wearing goggles. Called it a win.
- Archery – Recently found lessons nearby. Bummed she didn’t get a bow for Christmas. Guess she should have put that on the list to Santa.
- Martial Arts – This one has stuck for about a year-and-a-half but now we’re foiled by logistics. Hoping to figure this out soon.
- Running – Took this up in the fall through Girls On the Run (love this organization) and she’s completed two 5K runs in the past two months. Took 2nd place for her age division. I nearly burst with pride.
A while back I wrote about how to recognize a parent of a gifted child and said you wouldn’t find them at soccer games.
Well, of course some gifted kids play soccer, or football, or lacrosse. Just like I’m sure there are some kids who identify as athletes who also happen to compete in chess tournaments.
Just because sports isn’t a high priority for a kid doesn’t mean that they don’t play sports. For my daughter, like many kids, gifted or not, it’s just one facet (and maybe not a very big one) of who they are.
So maybe you will find the parent of a gifted kid at a soccer game. Or at the cheering at the finish line of a 5K run.
