Gifted or Lactose Intolerant?

“Am I lastose tolorry?” This question was asked of me by Jed. He is an interesting boy. I almost have to force him to read or write his numbers to 100. At six, he still confuses “d” and “b”, yet he understands what lactose intolerant is, even if he can’t pronounce it. I reassured him that he is not lactose intolerant. He reassured me that he is, however, fruit intolerant and also that he is very much candy tolerant. I thought he was mimicking a commercial he had heard on television, but he really does understand what lactose intolerant means. Daily, I am amazed at the things that he is able to process in his mind. When he shares his thoughts with me, I rest easy for a moment, knowing that although he struggles with the mundane worksheets and decodable phonics readers that are assigned to him in his first grade classroom, he is gifted. He is gifted with the ability to memorize nearly every jingle he hears on television. At age four he could drive his dirt-bike just as skillfully as someone twice his age. He can replace the chain on his bicycle all on his own. He is an extremely deep thinker and very mechanical, just not so much academic. It is not that Jed doesn’t have the ability; just that he lacks the interest and desire. He would much rather “pop wheelies” with his bicycle, do “burn-outs” with his toy trucks in the backyard and drive his Hot Wheels cars across the bumps on an unmade bed. Reading and writing require being still, a skill that Jed has yet to master. Until now, I have been the mother of children whose straight A’s come natural for them. My kids have boasted perfect report cards for nine years. I must admit that I struggle with a child who, well, struggles. I know that Jed will require an extra push every now and then to reach his potential. I, and a lifetime of dear teachers, will have to work a little bit harder to hold his attention, but at the end of the school day, or any other, I am lucky to have a son who is gifted; gifted in his desire to glean each and every moment from the day, gifted in his ability to marvel those who love him with his thoughts and observations, gifted with independence and self-esteem beyond his years and gifted with love and loyalty to this mother who holds him so dear.