Date: 17th January 2026
Facilitator: In-house
Duration: 2 Hours
Participants: Parents of GNP students (n = 41)
Purpose
The session aimed to support parents of gifted adolescents by normalizing common parenting challenges, broadening focus beyond academic achievement, and offering practical strategies to support emotional, social, and motivational development. An experienced parent (alumni) was included as a peer voice to promote relatability and reassurance.
Objectives
- Normalize challenges in parenting gifted adolescents
- Address emotional and social needs alongside achievement
- Understand parental concerns
- Provide clear, implementable strategies
- Encourage reflection through peer sharing rather than expert instruction
Session Highlights
The session began with a structured paper–pen icebreaker that invited parents to reflect on strengths, admiration, and ongoing concerns related to their child, fostering openness and peer connection. This was followed by a guided discussion in which parents reflected on emotional intensity, motivation, underachievement, belonging, and evolving parental roles. Key themes such as overexcitabilities, fear of failure, perfectionism, asynchronous development, and the importance of co-regulation were explored in a non-judgmental manner. An experienced parent – Mrs. Deo – was intentionally included as a peer voice to share real-life reflections and learning, emphasizing reassurance over advice.
The S.E.A.T. framework (Safety, Effort over Outcome, Autonomy with Anchors, and Tuning In) was introduced to provide parents with a clear and practical lens for supporting their adolescents at home. The session concluded with a reflective activity encouraging parents to identify one change in response, one supportive sentence, and one meaningful conversation to initiate with their child.
Overall, the session successfully created a supportive space for reflection, strengthened parent understanding of gifted adolescents’ needs, and equipped families with practical, relationship-centered strategies.
