Your Gifted Child Isn't Lazy

If you’ve ever worried that your gifted or twice-exceptional child is lazy, you’re not alone.

​

I don’t believe there’s such a thing as laziness, though.

​

I believe people are innately driven to learn, explore, connect, and grow. And research suggests that we stay in touch with this innate drive to engage as long as our environment doesn’t shut it down too harshly, too consistently.

​

Within this framework, “lazy” feelings or behavior indicate something is awry and needs attention.

In my experience, it’s common to discover that a gifted child who seems “lazy” is actually stressed, overwhelmed, and/or twice-exceptional (2e).

​

For example, parents may worry their child is lazy because the child seems careless about their work, unmotivated to do daily tasks, resistant to homework, only willing to do the “bare minimum,” or slow to get started on something new.

​

It’s true that twice-exceptional folks or kids in distress may find it difficult to keep up with daily tasks and organizational demands, but it’s not accurate or helpful to refer to these behaviors or people as “careless,” “unmotivated,” “resistant,” or “unwilling.” These descriptions misconstrue stress or neurodivergence as a character flaw that’s willful and shameful.

​

I don’t know a single parent or teacher who wants to instill shame in their child or student, so why is this harmful narrative about laziness so common?

​

If you’d like to learn a different view of “laziness,” you may enjoy Dr. Devon Price’s book ​Laziness Does Not Exist​.

Dr. Price, who is twice-exceptional, writes about what he calls the Laziness Lie, a pervasive and harmful belief system that implies that “hard work is morally superior to relaxation, that people who aren’t productive have less innate value than productive people.” He describes how capitalism, racism, and classism fuel our fear of laziness - not just for gifted or twice-exceptional folks, but for everyone.

​

The Laziness Lie

 

Dr. Price argues that the Laziness Lie has three main tenets:

• Your worth is your productivity.

• You cannot trust your own feelings and limits.

• There is always more you could be doing.

​

Below are some key points about each tenet and how they relate to gifted and twice-exceptional folks.

​

Lie 1 - Your worth is your productivity

​

In our culture, we tend to focus on what people do and accomplish instead of focusing on what brings them joy, passion, and a sense of wholeness. It’s seen as worrisome or shameful to be less “productive,” even when lessened productivity is due to disability, illness, or aging.

​

Dr. Price argues that economic vulnerabilities and insecurities drive people to overwork to maintain a feeling of safety. Our culture often assumes that people must earn or prove their worth instead of every person having inherent worth as a human. Even people who are economically secure or who are students (such as high schoolers) feel pressure to take on more and more work to prove their worth and capacity.

​

Many gifted kids and teens feel enormous pressure to excel at academics or other activities. Although striving is not harmful per se, it can be harmful if bright kids and teens begin to believe that they are only worthy if they try their hardest at all times. It is harmful when these kids begin to believe that resting, reducing commitments, asking for help, or doing less makes them less worthy or “lazy.”

​

Lie 2 - You cannot trust your own feelings and limits

​

Dr. Price argues that “our economic system and culture have taught us that having needs makes us weak, and that limits are negotiable.”

​

Many people take on more responsibilities than they want and ignore their need for rest because they fear that resting is a sign of laziness. This tenet relates to why people work even when they’re sick, why students pull all-nighters even though their work quality diminishes, and why some twice-exceptional people may be reluctant to use their accommodations, for fear that using support makes them weak.

​

Lie 3 - There is always more you could be doing

​

As Dr. Price describes, “according to the Laziness Lie, a worthwhile person fills their days in ideal, industrious ways.” This perspective “encourages us to an impossible level of productivity.”

​

This tenet shows up often in my work with gifted and twice-exceptional teens. Some of these teens spend hours doing homework for AP or IB courses, strive for their best work in all assignments, and manage a range of extra-curricular activities, all while worrying they aren’t doing enough. These teens’ parents are often confused - We don’t tell her she has to do all that! Why does she think she has to work so hard or get all A’s?

 

As Dr. Price shows in his book, these belief systems are pervasive in our culture.

​

Even though I consciously disagree with the tenets - I don’t believe your worth is your productivity! - I recognized myself in the book’s examples again and again. I grew up being praised for my giftedness, and I can think of countless times I worked longer than expected and past the point of enjoyment to prove my worth and feel accomplished or good about myself.

​

For bright people who excel at “productivity,” it may be tempting to chase good feelings from praise, awards, and high grades, even at the cost of emotional and physical well-being.

​

For twice-exceptional students who are bright but don’t feel “productive,” the Laziness Lie may be particularly harmful. These students are smart and have great ideas but may have a hard time translating their ideas into products valued by a culture focused on quantity, busyness, and specific forms of achievement like written reports and high test scores.

​

What is going on, if not laziness?

 

If you worry your gifted or twice-exceptional child is lazy or if they accuse themselves of laziness, consider the following possibilities:

​

The expectations are a poor fit

​

When a child or teen is gifted, it can be hard to remember that seemingly “simple” tasks like worksheets, studying, following a morning routine, organizing belongings, or daily hygiene might be difficult because they rely on executive functioning or create unpleasant sensory experiences.

​

Unfortunately, the Laziness Lie tries to convince us that these behaviors are moral failings instead of a natural part of human diversity.

​

Check in with your own expectations for your child and their expectations for themselves - are the expectations coming from a fear of low productivity and laziness? Are the expectations appropriate for your child’s abilities and sensitivities?

​

Your child needs different support

​

What accommodations and supports are in place to support your child with tasks or activities they find challenging?

​

Needs often change as children develop and as their environments change. Think about what tasks or situations cause your child the most stress right now. Are there ways you could offer your child more support in these areas, at home or at school?

​

For example, if your child is sensitive to sound and seems lazy or overwhelmed since returning to in-person school, you could consider accommodations that reduce sensory input and help them regulate during the day, perhaps by using noise-canceling headphones or working in a quiet location at times.

​

Your child isn’t using the supports available

​

It’s also important to consider the messaging around accommodations and supports. Is your child or teen encouraged to use accommodations freely and with pride for their own self-advocacy, or are accommodations and supports seen as “cheating” or shameful?

​

If ideas like those in The Laziness Lie are interfering with your child’s ability to self-advocate or with your ability to encourage their support systems, I highly recommend Laziness Does Not Exist to help you begin to question internalized ableism.

​

Your child is overworked and burnt out

​

As Dr. Price writes about in his book, research on productivity shows there are limits to how much work a person can do, but our societal expectations are often much higher than those natural limits. (You may feel validated, for example, to learn that the 40-hour workweek is “still probably too long and demanding for most people” according to Dr. Price’s summary of the research.)

​

Feelings of “laziness” are sometimes a sign that the “lazy” person is on the edge of burnout - that they are doing too much. In this case, laziness is a warning sign to make more time for rest, rejuvenation, and play.

 

Your child is underchallenged in their strengths

 

When a twice-exceptional kid is asked to do tasks that are too easy in an area of strength, their innate drive to learn and explore can wane - because there’s no opportunity for them to truly learn and explore.

​

I think the Laziness Lie leads some educators to believe that all children must complete all tasks - as if doing a task is inherently valuable, even if the child has mastered the material and won’t learn anything. Sometimes providing more stimulating or challenging work in a child’s area of strength or interest can help a seemingly lazy kid feel excited and engaged in learning again.

​

Your child is anxious, sad, or stressed

​

If you’ve ever dealt with your own anxiety, sadness, grief, or stress - and I’m sure you have - you know that emotional distress can feel demotivating. When you’re distressed, activities may not feel fun anymore, and it’s more difficult to concentrate on anything.

​

If you think stress, anxiety, or sadness may be sapping your child’s motivation, it can be helpful to focus on validation and support instead of calling this experience “laziness.”

​

Your gifted child may be twice-exceptional

​

Finally, if you know your child is gifted and you often worry they’re lazy, I encourage you to consider the possibility that they are twice-exceptional. Being seen as “lazy” is a sign that a child may be processing the world differently or need different supports - and identifying autism, ADHD, or a learning disability can help you and your child advocate for supports and develop a positive identity.  I have a detailed article about twice-exceptionality here if you'd like to explore more.  

​

In my experience, undiagnosed twice-exceptionality can be associated with shame - many undiagnosed kids and teens start to think they are lazy and irresponsible instead of differently wired and in need of new strategies or support. As Dr. Price wrote in his dedication for the book, “if a person’s behavior doesn’t make sense, it’s because I’m missing a piece of their context.” If your child’s behavior doesn’t make sense, an assessment can provide helpful context.

​

If you worry you’re lazy

 

Parents of gifted and twice-exceptional kids, you might recognize yourself in this book too. Do you worry you’re lazy or not productive enough? Is your to-do list filled with tasks you feel you “should” do but don’t particularly want or need to? Do you find yourself working more than you want to or more than you’ve committed to because you feel pressure to perform or produce?

​

A key take-away from Laziness Does Not Exist is that when you worry you’re not doing enough, you can probably blame this worry on the Laziness Lie. There is always more you could be doing, but that doesn’t mean there’s always more you should be doing. In fact, Dr. Price shows how trying to do too much often makes us unhappy and less effective.

​

Dr. Price encourages readers to combat the Laziness Lie - to work less, decouple their achievements from their worth, set boundaries with others, resist society’s “shoulds,” be comfortable not knowing something, and practice compassion with themselves and others.

​

In the end, Laziness Does Not Exist is a call for a gentler, more compassionate, and more balanced perspective on our own worth and the worth of others. Dr. Price shows how compassionate curiosity can help us learn to stop associating productivity with goodness, honor our lazy feelings, and make time for rest, renewal, connection, and fun.