Barbara Klein, Ed.D.

It has been my experience during the last 20 years of counseling parents of gifted children that mother is usually more tuned into what her children need than dad is.
    When I wrote “Raising Gifted Kids” I received a lot of phone calls from mothers that I write a Cliffnotes version for the dads. I received the same requests from moms when I wrote “The Challenges of Gifted Children.”
    Why do moms underline 90% of my parenting books, while dads underline only 10%? Maybe dad is not as engaged as mom is, or maybe dad thinks it will all work out in the end so why worry.
    My advice, based on my experiences professional and personal, is:
    1.  Get dad on board. Help him understand your point of view about your “quirky” child.
    2.  Parent as a team. Give dad responsibility.
    3.  Accept that you are the primary decision maker and lead your family with thoughtfulness and compassion.
    4.  Stop wishing that you had the perfect father figure for your child.