NAGC Blog

Ironically, even while most GenZ kids are safe at home, the coronavirus pandemic has been an assault on one of this generation’s most valued structures—emotional safe spaces. Anticipatory grief—an uncertainty about the future that usually centers around death, says grief expert David Kessler (That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief)--is a prevailing feeling during our present crisis. In this case, the anticipatory grief isn’t necessarily about an uncertainty surrounding death but, collectively, a feeling for the loss of safety which literally hits home with GenZ and their parents. But we can turn our gaze forward and help our gifted children regain a feeling of meaning and control.

While gifted individuals are no more anxious than the general population, these uncertain times can cause anxiety and worry, especially when there are fewer intellectual pursuits in a day. With school closures and social distancing, it is important to help children develop a sense of purpose that can guide them as they deal with the unknown.