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I'm a male and was never interested in sports as a kid. Always gravitated more toward the arts and music. We lived in a neighborhood that was quite insular and all the other kids were into sports. I kinda got lost in school for those reasons, had been in and out of therapy since I was 5, and even then they said I showed signs of BPD, which I have never been diagnosed with FTR and am proud to say the tendencies are long gone. My dad once told a doctor who sort of insinuated my father was over-worried because I wasn't into what other kids were into, he replied "I don't care if he's a ***, I want him to be happy!"
I remember Patrick Sauce describing his experience as a dance teacher's son. He asked some of the girls in his class "Do you get teased for having your ballet shoes in your back pocket? My son wanted to be Danny Zuko, then he saw Gregory Hines in action. I pretty much let him try it all
At any rate, we have seen that intellect and achievement are far from perfectly correlated. -Lewis Terman, an American psychologist who started the longest running study in the field of psychology.
My oldest son was put in a program with exceptionally gifted students. They were a tight knit, but very diverse, group along almost every dimension. I never heard any of them complain about bullying.
No, the most important thing you can do is make sure you teach your child what bullying is and make sure they are not part of the bullying problem. MOST childhood bullies come from families where the parents are completely unaware of their own child's behavior.
That's a great thing for parents of the kids who are doing the bullying. You are right that often times the parents are unaware of the pain their children are inflicting. Altho in many instances even if they were aware they really would not care.
But I was responding to the OP:
Quote:
Originally Posted by tassity22
...are there things parents can do to avoid their child getting bullied by others about some aspect of their life or personal interests?
Bullying victims are already painfully aware of what bullying is: they don't really need to be told.
I am not sure about why a book about the genetic components of genius has anything to do with boys who are disinterested in sports or students who avail themselves of advanced placement classes and dual enrollment at local colleges.
"Misplaced confidence" has not been an issue in our family - or extended families.
Dual enrollment is available in your area, and if I were you, I'd take advantage of it for your academically inclined son. - when the time comes, of course.
I agree with this. We avoided schools where the celebration of ignorance abounded, and students in AP classes were the objects of derision.
My son is now a senior in college. He was popular with everyone in high school, and as I would have predicted, even happier in college.
He does not play many competitive sports, nor does he really follow any teams. He attends a college where Broom Ball (Ice Hockey using a broom and ball), and soccer are the only team sports) He likes Broom Ball - and I am a bit surprised. He enjoys down hill and cross country skiing and hiking. He's quite "outdoorsey", He's actually on a Broom Ball team, which shocked us.
Still no interest in soccer. And we don't care.
He's a musician as well as a visual artistic. He has friends who play sports at other colleges and he has no problem relating to them.
As a guitarist in an independent rock band, girls are not an issue. He has had the same "girlfriend" (for lack of a better word), for two years and they are applying to some of the same graduate schools.
My son is not the point. He isn't terribly unusual. I know this may very as to geography and social class, may play into this. However, in certain places in the U.S., "not being a jock" - is a non issue.
Yeah, I wonder if region/location play a huge part in this. My husband was in GATE throughout school and took AP courses. He was never made fun of or bullied. (this was back in the late 80s to mid 90s) He went on to a top UC school before later dropping out. He's a musician and illustrator. He was a total nerd/geek (comic books, Star Wars, Star Trek, history buff, etc.) He wasn't interested in sports. Just not his thing. He did take martial arts, and is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor, which seems to attract a lot of the nerdy/geeky types.
At my schools, being involved in a creative/performing arts or GATE and AP were seen as admirable and cool. I've asked my middle schooler what it's like for the honors kids and she said they're pretty insulated. All of her friends are honor students. She's a total nerd/geek, and has never been bullied or teased. The IB school in our district is full of students like her. Being a nerd, geek, artsy, academic, etc., is viewed as normal.
How are we defining "achievement" and "success"? An advanced degree or two? A promising white collar career? Can "success" simply be work that the gifted individual enjoys a lot and finds personal fulfillment, that also suits their needs and life goals, even if it doesn't fit a particular expectation of achievement?
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My son wanted to be Danny Zuko, then he saw Gregory Hines in action. I pretty much let him try it all
