Is My Toddler Gifted?

This is obviously the face of a genius. Probably an evil genius, but a genius nonetheless.

I read a statistic the other day that “is my toddler gifted” is one of the most googled phrases. So, I decided to see, is my toddler gifted? Let’s evaluate:
A gifted child has a favorite TV show by the age of 1.
This sign of enhanced intellectual ability clearly goes against the “don’t let your child watch any TV until he is two. Otherwise you will rot his brain and he will never learn. EVER” mentality that is the current AAP recommendation for screen time. However, I will openly admit here that my son was a Mickey Mouse junkie by the age of 10 months. He loves that mouse. And if one show by the age of 1 is an indication of advanced intellectualy ability, having 3,000 favorite movies by the age of two certainly confirms it.

A gifted child can sit still and enjoy TV programs by the age of 1.
Ummm….yea. I think I covered my use of the electronic babysitter in the above answer.

Awwww…He really does love him some Mickey.

Interested in time by age 2.
If by time you mean avoiding bedtime and naptime at all costs, then yes, my son is VERY interested in time.

Long attention span in interest areas by age 2.
The other day, my son played with vinyl stickers for two hours. He is obsessed with his stickers. To the point that we have to take them away at bedtime because he won’t sleep. They are also the first thing he asks for in the morning. The other day when I picked him up at daycare I asked him “guess who is at home?” His answer, “STICKIES!” The correct response was daddy. But he is chopped liver compared to stickies. So in short, yes, he has a long attention span.

He lays these out and puts them away several times a day. For hours. And gets obsessively upset if one of them gets folded.

Extraordinary feats of memory.
Not really sure what they mean by this, but if it includes remembering exactly where you put each sticker or hot wheel car the night before, then yes, my son has a pretty good memory. However, take this with a grain of salt because I am so sleep deprived I routinely throw my cell phone away or lose my sunglasses on the top of my head. I may not have an accurate perspective on what constitutes an “extraordinary” memory.

We hid these for him for Easter. He checked for more in the same hiding spot for a week.

Advanced language development.
My son knows about 50 words at this point. Over half of them are fictional characters that he learned because of his incredible ability to enjoy TV programs. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that does not qualify as advanced. Although I could swear that he said “fuck yes” the other day. I am so proud of him.

Reaches milestones early.
This definitely does NOT apply to my son. I remember my husband regularly having to tell me “no one crawls to work” because my son was such a late walker. And when it comes to potty training, he is pretty sure that sitting on the potty is a fate worse than death at this point. I don’t think he’ll do anything “early.” Homeboy operates on his own timeline.

Interest in puzzles.
In smashing them, yes. In completing them, no.

Appears to require less sleep than other children his age.
Yes.

This is how I get through the day with my child who requires less sleep…

So, is my child gifted? Who knows. And to be honest, I can’t say that it matters to me one way or the other. What about you? Does your kiddo do any of this?