Review of Parents' Guide to Raising Gifted Children
A Practical, Compassionate Guide for Parents of Gifted Children
Raising a gifted child can bring extraordinary rewards, but it can also bring challenges that others do not always understand. Susan Runnels addresses both sides of that experience with warmth, humor, and practical advice in her book Parents' Guide to Raising Gifted Children.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its broad understanding of giftedness. Runnels looks beyond intelligence tests and academic achievement to consider creativity, emotional intensity, sensory sensitivities, asynchronous development, and twice-exceptional children. She makes clear that a child can possess remarkable abilities while still struggling with friendships, organization, anxiety, perfectionism, or everyday routines.
This is not merely a theoretical discussion. The book offers concrete tools parents can use immediately, including sample conversations with teachers, strategies for preventing and managing meltdowns, emotional-regulation exercises, family checklists, and ideas for helping children build resilience and independence. I especially appreciated the sections on school advocacy and perfectionism. The suggested language can help parents communicate their concerns firmly without turning every conversation into a confrontation.
The author also recognizes that giftedness affects the entire family. She discusses sibling resentment, parental exhaustion, financial limitations, cultural differences, and the need to give every child individual attention. Her reassuring tone helps parents feel understood rather than judged.
The book covers an unusually wide range of subjects, so it introduces some ideas more briefly than others. Nevertheless, the comprehensive coverage makes it a useful reference that parents can consult whenever a particular problem arises.
Gifted Kids Don’t Think Inside the Box is an encouraging and highly practical guide for parents, grandparents, caregivers, and educators. It reminds readers that gifted children need more than intellectual stimulation. They also need patience, emotional support, appropriate challenges, and adults who appreciate the distinctive ways in which they experience the world.