Your happiness is raised by the fact that you are willing to have your happiness lowered through years of dirty diapers, tantrums and backtalk. Willingness to accept unhappiness from children is a source of happiness. (Brooks, 2008)

Bringing up a gifted child is not an easy task. There is much more to shoulder than having the diapers changed, bearing abrupt tantrums and taking calculated, witty, sophisticated backtalk. In face of all the challenges, it is paramount for us to learn to take care of ourselves, be positive ourselves and find meaning in our own lives, and hence positive energy can be brought back to the relationships with our children and families. In this session, we will together explore the five crucial elements of well-being as suggested by Dr Seligman (2011), namely positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment (PERMA) with the aid of local examples. Parents of gifted children will also be present to share their experiences of well-being.

Ms. Cherry LI received her Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in Psychology, Postgraduate Diploma of Education in Liberal Studies and Master of Social Sciences in Counselling at The University of Hong Kong. She has nearly ten years of experience in education including teaching and counselling in mainstream and special education schools. During the study of her Master degree, she visited a number of secondary, primary schools and kindergartens for group trainings and individual counselling for diverse student populations and is familiar with individual learning differences and students’ socio-emotional development.