By Lori Comallie-Caplan.
In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings, I have seen a flurry of anxious parents looking for answers on how to protect their children, how to keep their anxiety about their children’s safety from spilling onto their children and how to keep the hopelessness out of their own path as a parent. In trying to assist these parents, I was reminded of Lisa Rivero’s writing on “Courageous Parenting” (A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Teen’s, Great Potential Press, 2010, p. 11-12.) “Many difficult decisions about parenting gifted teens are made easier if we focus on these “Three C’s.” The three C’s that Lisa is referring to are creativity, courage and caring. These three C’s do not only apply to the parenting of teens but to parenting children of all ages.
One of SENG’s greatest services to parents of gifted children is its free online library of articles. I have compiled of a list of my top 10 articles for courageous parenting.
Caring Parenting – practicing caring action through listening and empathy
Raising a Well-Adjusted Gifted Child: The Value of Promoting Social Intelligence, by Steven Pfeiffer.
Tips for Parents of Intense Children, by Sharon Lind.
Emotional Intensity in Gifted Children, by Leslie Kay Sward.
Creative Parenting– using new approaches to do parenting problem solving
The Gift of Balance, by Vidisha Patel, Ed.D.
The Magnificent Void, by Sheri Plybon.
Risk-Taking and Risk Making; Understanding when Less than Perfection is More than Acceptable, by Jim Delisle.
Courageous Parenting – standing up for your children in difficult times
Troubling Times: How Parents and Teachers Can Help Children Understand and Confront Adversity, by Dona Matthews and Joanne Foster.
Gifted Kids At Risk, Who’s Listening, by Patricia Schuler.
A Parent’s New Year’s Resolution: I will love the child I have, not the one I want, by Lori Comallie-Caplan and Marc Caplan.
In the end, sometimes being a courageous parent means you need a little help from a professional. Finding the Right Mental Health Provider for your Child, by Tiombe Kendrick, provides parents with a way to seek out the best help for your child.
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SENG Preisdent Lori Comallie-Caplan is currently in private practice specializing in therapy and evaluation of gifted children and adolescents in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Mrs. Comallie-Caplan is a Certified Educational Diagnostician and Certified Frasier Talent Assessment Profile Evaluator. She also is a certified SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) Model Parent Group Facilitator as well as a SENG Model Parent Group Facilitator Trainer. She frequently presents at SENG and NAGC annual conferences.