There has never been a moment in Monster's life where he hasn't been insatiably curious. He is the only 6 year old I know who prefer to read National Geographic, the Smithsonian, or Time as opposed to something like Highlights. Monster not only reads these things, but he actually learns them. Once he learns them, he knows them forever. He'll spout off random facts about things that he has read about months before. His brain never shuts off.
Unfortunately, people don't understand the downside to gifted learners. Monster is extremely disorganized. He gets off task quickly, but it's always to read something new. He gets bored extremely easily, which then, makes him off task. He is extremely scatterbrained about day to day things. He'd leave the house only half dressed if I didn't check him over. These are all things that come with being gifted. These are extremely frustrating issues for people who do understand what comes with being gifted, let alone for those who don't understand. A lot of gifted learners are put on medication for ADHD. Now, for true ADHD, medication can work wonders, but I've also seen it dull brilliant minds.
Each day is constant struggle between the good and bad that goes along with being gifted. Lately, the bad has been getting me down. The bad has also been wearing on his teacher, who can't figure out how to get Monster to stop reading and just pay attention in class. I understand her frustration, but it's also hard because he's not hurting anyone or disrupting anything. He's been getting into so much trouble at school for not paying attention, that he's starting to not like school. He has extreme anxiety about going. I don't know where the balance is, but I hope, for Monster's sake, we find it sooner rather than later.