I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but one of the main assumptions people seem to make is that if the child is bright then they must have pushy parents. In other words a child that is only just above average intelligence is being forced to become a genius. I bet Georgina’s parents got accused of being pushy when she became the youngest member of Mensa! The parents also are accused of applying pressure to the schools to get special treatment. It is not necessarily the case that if you have 2 intelligent parents that the child will be bright. However the odds are greatly increased if the parents are bright, this is usually down to nurture. At present there is no genetic cause for intelligence.
We all know some parents are pushy, these are the ones who will do anything to ensure that their child gets into the best schools etc. That’s not to say that all parents who want the best for their child is pushy I mean the parents who will move house purely to get their child into a specific school.
Some parents have a very able child, and can find it difficult, the easiest way to identify a pushy parent is to listen to the way they talk about their child they are often very smug about their child’s ability. Those that aren’t pushy parents often blame themselves when their child becomes the target of bullies.
Teachers don’t always know how to deal with the children who are exceptionally bright and often deny that the child is bright instead they claim that the child is naughty. In some cases children do act up as a result of boredom if the tasks they are set are not challenging. That is not say that all children who are labelled as naughty at school are exceptionally bright, but you know your child better than anyone else so will be able to tell if they are “being disruptive” as a result of intelligence. Some children are bored by school because the pace is too slow as can be seen in the article about an 8 year old who got an A* in maths!
If anyone reading this has a bright child it can seem hard particularly if your child is constantly needing constant attention and mental stimulation. All I will say to you is don’t worry this is perfectly normal and don’t anyone who tries to tell you that you are pushy any of the other nonsense associated with having a bright child is probably either jealous or don’t understand what it is like to have a very bright child; take it from someone who knows.