Elliott

My soon-to-be six-year-old grandson, Elliott, has always been a challenge.  It began within a few days of birth when he couldn't nurse properly.  That continued so long he lost weight before finally getting the hang of it.  And then the real fun began.

I have two children and nine nieces and nephews, but had never experienced colic before Elliott. The hours of screaming, day and night, were enough to drive any parent, or grandparent, insane. I think the hardest part was never knowing when it would start or end.  There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for it.  Although we learned it was due to an underdeveloped nervous system.

Then, magically, at five and a half months, the screaming ended.  However, by then Elliott had developed terrible sleep patterns as we were told to do "anything" to get him to sleep. That included letting him fall asleep while being rocked or nursed, and not keeping to any schedule.  It took meeting with a sleep specialist to break the bad habits.

Then, finally, Elliott became much more fun around two years of age when his obsession with trains began.  At grandma's house, we spent hours playing with Thomas the Tank Engine toys and watching DVDs as well as reading train books.  The obsession and fun continued even after Elliott's third birthday.  However, that's also when new frustrations started as Elliott's strong personality became extremely obvious.

Elliott clearly has his own creative way of thinking, which means he often has trouble following rules and gets easily frustrated.  As a preschooler, his frustrations were the cause of a lot of tantrums. Elliott's also extremely bright and empathetic, which makes him super sensitive and emotional.  A seemingly mundane situation can bring him to tears. And because Elliott's brain is always in hyper speed, he often has trouble staying focused.

At first we thought Elliott's lack of focus was a sign of Attention Deficit Disorder.  But then things seemed different from our ADD experience with our son.  Elliott's lack of focus is more a desire to do it "his" way rather than an inability to juggle several things at once. And that's when I started researching traits of gifted children, which brings us to the present.

Recently Elliott's Kindergartner teacher recommended him for the school's Gifted Program.  He'll be tested and interviewed next month.  I'm praying he's accepted.  While Elliott's definitely challenging, he's also above average, and I want him to have every opportunity to reach his full potential.