-by Ketika Kasetwar, July 2025

“You’re forcing your daughter to grow up too fast!”
“Children should do things as per their age!”
“What’s the hurry in teaching so much so early?”

These are questions I’ve been answering since my daughter was not even a year old. Over time, I’ve faced many more such comments, often well-meaning, but mostly coming from a limited understanding of what it means to raise a gifted child. Even today, in 2025, the concept of giftedness continues to be misunderstood or unheard of in many circles in India.

Gifted children often hit developmental milestones early, pick up reading or speaking much before their peers, and show a remarkable ability to make connections between ideas. They can be intensely curious, emotionally deep, full of strong opinions, and completely immersed in topics that light up their mind, sometimes seeming far ahead of their years.

But here’s the thing I wasn’t prepared for: parenting a gifted tween.

Now that my daughter is in that in-between space – no longer a little child, not quite a teenager – I often find myself wondering who I’m speaking to in any given moment. Is it the curious, sensitive child who still wants bedtime cuddles and silly jokes? The thoughtful, insightful young person who brings up existential questions over dinner? Or the mini-adult who argues her case like a lawyer and quotes research at me mid-conversation?

The emotional maturity can sometimes leave me in awe, and other times completely overwhelmed. One moment she’s navigating abstract concepts with the ease of someone much older, and the next moment, she’s melting down over something I thought was trivial. And that unpredictability? That’s the parenting space I’m learning to live in these days. A space with no map.

And even now, after all these years, the word gifted still trips people up. Many assume it has something to do with learning disabilities or special needs due to medical or physical conditions. I often have to explain that while some gifted children also have learning difficulties (what we call twice-exceptional or 2E), giftedness itself refers to a very different neurodivergence – one where the mind works several notches faster or deeper, often in very uneven ways.

But just because they’re bright or “ahead,” doesn’t mean they don’t need support. In fact, the complexity of their thoughts, emotions, and inner world means they often need more scaffolding, not less. They may breeze through concepts that stump others, but still struggle to make sense of their feelings or find peers who “get” them.

So I’m still learning, every day. Still unlearning my own assumptions. Still searching for resources, mentors, and like-minded families. And I hope more parents in India continue to step up and share their lived experiences of raising gifted children. Because this journey can feel isolating, especially in a society that’s just beginning to understand that being “ahead” doesn’t mean having it all figured out.