Perfectionism and Gifted Children


Book Description

Parents and educators expect gifted children to be well-behaved, studious, and hard working. Why, then, do so many have trouble in school? According to Dr. Rosemary Callard-Szulgit, perfectionism—the number one social-emotional trait of gifted children—can actually immobilize some children and cause social adjustment problems for others. This explains why so many of today's gifted children do not, or cannot, complete school assignments or even follow through on personal responsibilities. During her forty-five year career, Callard-Szulgit has helped hundreds of students and their parents recover from the harmful effects of being perfectionists. In her second edition of Perfectionism and Gifted Children, Callard-Szulgit provides practical insight into perfectionism, discussing why so many gifted children are perfectionists while also providing common sense solutions to the problems this presents. This book will be helpful to families and educators of gifted students, as well as to gifted children themselves. The expanded question and answer section will better help parents and teachers ease children’s anxieties and behaviors that stem from the problems of perfectionism. Appendixes list current associations and advocacy groups, Internet resources, journals and magazines that address the special needs of the gifted and talented.




Letting Go of Perfect


Book Description

Letting Go of Perfect: Overcoming Perfectionism in Kids pinpoints a crippling state of mentality among many kids today--the need to be absolutely perfect--and gives parents and teachers the guidance and support they need to help children break free of the anxieties and behaviors related to perfectionism.




Perfectionism


Book Description

Contributors focus on the maladaptive aspects of perfectionism and explore such questions as: How is perfectionism assessed and conceptualized? How does perfectionism develop? What is the role of emotion, stress, or depression in perfectionism? Why are perfectionists anxious? When is perfectionism irrational? Leading scholars reveal perfectionism as a personality style with multiple developmental influences that contribute to significant interpersonal problems. Their chapters combine the best current research with insights relevant to the treatment and origins of perfectionism. Perfectionism will be a welcome resource for researchers, clinicians, counselors, and educators who encounter perfectionists in their work and all others who are interested in learning more about this challenging personality style.




Why Is My Child in Charge?


Book Description

Solve toddler challenges with eight key mindshifts that will help you parent with clarity, calmness, and self-control. In Why is My Child in Charge?, Claire Lerner shows how making critical mindshifts—seeing children’s behaviors through a new lens —empowers parents to solve their most vexing childrearing challenges. Using real life stories, Lerner unpacks the individualized process she guides parents through to settle common challenges, such as throwing tantrums in public, delaying bedtime for hours, refusing to participate in family mealtimes, and resisting potty training. Lerner then provides readers with a roadmap for how to recognize the root cause of their child’s behavior and how to create and implement an action plan tailored to the unique needs of each child and family. Why is My Child in Charge? is like having a child development specialist in your home. It shows how parents can develop proven, practical strategies that translate into adaptable, happy kids and calm, connected, in-control parents.




Perfectionism in Childhood and Adolescence


Book Description

"Perfectionism is growing more prevalent among young people today, with increasing numbers of children admitting they feel pressure to be, or appear to be, perfect. This book describes perfectionism's mental health costs and effects on achievement, explaining the myriad and often surprising ways children and adolescents exhibit perfectionism in their family, school, and social environments. Most important, the authors suggest clinical interventions to help perfectionistic children regain perspective, and accept their limitations. Authors Gordon L. Flett and Paul L. Hewitt expertly summarize relevant studies, demonstrating that perfectionism is pernicious and requires a complex and multi-faceted approach to prevention and treatment. A clinically-focused section rounds out the book, with concrete steps counselors and educators can take to help build resilience and adaptability"--




Nobody's Perfect


Book Description

Jill walked over and stood next to Sally. She played right before Sally in the recital. "I liked your pieces," Jill said. Sally said, "But I messed up on the second one. It sounded really bad." "Oh, I didn't notice," Jill said. She shrugged, "I made a couple of mistakes too. It's no big deal" Sally thought Jill was just trying to be nice. She couldn't remember Jill every making a mistake when she played. In fact, she made it look so easy all the time. After another sip of punch and a chocolate chip cookie, Sally was ready to leave. She wasn't in a very good mood and most of all she didn't want to face Mrs. Pratt. Sally felt like she had let her down. Sally Sanders is a perfectionist—if can’t she be the best, she feels like a failure. Sally procrastinates, shies away from new things, and constantly compares herself to others, convinced she’s not good enough. With the help of her teachers and mother, Sally learns how to relax and try new things without worrying so much about being the best. She can just be herself, and that is all she needs.




What to Do When Good Enough Isn't Good Enough


Book Description

Perfectionism may seem like a worthy goal, but it’s actually a burden. When you believe you must be perfect, you live in constant fear of making mistakes. Most children don’t know what perfectionism is, yet many suffer from it. Nothing they do is ever good enough. School assignments are hard to start or hand in. Relationships are challenging, and self-esteem is low. Written to and for ages 9–13, this book helps kids understand how perfectionism hurts them and how to free themselves. Includes true-to-life vignettes, exercises, and a note to grown-ups.




Writers are Readers


Book Description

In Writers Are Readers, the mutually supportive roles of reading and writing are made visible through the idea of "flipsides;" how a reader's insights can be turned around to provide insights into his own writing, and vice versa. Lester and Reba's trademark engaging style is woven throughout chapters full of sample lessons, student writing samples, and recommended texts for maximizing the flipped concept across the year. "Leading the student to understand what he did as a reader can become a lens that brings into focus what the writer had to do before a reader ever saw the page," they write. Discover fresh new ways to turn reading strategies into writing opportunities that your students will be excited about and deeply understand.




Grown and Flown


Book Description

PARENTING NEVER ENDS. From the founders of the #1 site for parents of teens and young adults comes an essential guide for building strong relationships with your teens and preparing them to successfully launch into adulthood The high school and college years: an extended roller coaster of academics, friends, first loves, first break-ups, driver’s ed, jobs, and everything in between. Kids are constantly changing and how we parent them must change, too. But how do we stay close as a family as our lives move apart? Enter the co-founders of Grown and Flown, Lisa Heffernan and Mary Dell Harrington. In the midst of guiding their own kids through this transition, they launched what has become the largest website and online community for parents of fifteen to twenty-five year olds. Now they’ve compiled new takeaways and fresh insights from all that they’ve learned into this handy, must-have guide. Grown and Flown is a one-stop resource for parenting teenagers, leading up to—and through—high school and those first years of independence. It covers everything from the monumental (how to let your kids go) to the mundane (how to shop for a dorm room). Organized by topic—such as academics, anxiety and mental health, college life—it features a combination of stories, advice from professionals, and practical sidebars. Consider this your parenting lifeline: an easy-to-use manual that offers support and perspective. Grown and Flown is required reading for anyone looking to raise an adult with whom you have an enduring, profound connection.




Perfectionism in School


Book Description

Investigating the complex relationship between perfectionism and academic achievement, advanced students and researchers are introduced to different conceptualizations and measures of perfectionism in the opening chapter. Subsequent chapters of this book then provide an in-depth exploration of factors known to influence perfectionism such as parenting, attachment, and personality, as well as academic outcomes such as motivation, stress, burnout, anxiety, and procrastination. The book highlights avenues for future research to extend the exploration of perfectionism and academic achievement. The authors propose a theoretical model for future work on perfectionism and academic achievement and discuss additional areas that, while less well researched, deserve attention for their potential influence on how perfectionism may impact academic achievement.