What does giftedness look like?

I've gotten more than the usual number of people recently telling me that they don't think their child is gifted. The reasons are plentiful. Some say that they are struggling with everything. I knew a girl whose first grade teacher said she was falling behind. In a year or so, she was doing seventh grade math. My daughter is reduced to tears from math, but is years ahead in other subjects. Some say their child doesn't get high grades or scores. That describes my daughter, yet she is highly gifted; Albert Einstein flunked out of school, yet I don't think that's why his name has become a synonym for genius. Some parents tell me that their kids are behind in developmental ways. I still cannot throw or catch as well as the average gradeschool child, yet I have a gradeschool child. Some parents tell me their child is immature. Well, they are children, and let's face it, we all know adults that are immature. What does giftedness look like? It looks like a beautiful impressionistic painting made up of smaller, different pictures, just like most other things. Recently, in our house giftedness has been contained within someone who upon being asked to let the dogs out and (separately) told where her goggles were, did not hear me. The second repetition regarding the dogs, led to her going the wrong direction, putting on her shoes and simply standing there waiting. With the goggles, it led to her telling me that, "no, that's my towel mom." Funny, I thought I knew what goggles looked like. The third repetition, she let the dogs out, but not without some sitcom-worthy physical humor included. With the goggles, it was, "oh, I thought you were pointing to my towel." I responded, "I listened to the words and pointed to your goggles" without too much tone, and managed to postpone rolling my eyes until after she had turned around. I'm fairly certain none of the examples from today would show up in a short checklist of what indicates giftedness in a child. She is still gifted. Labels are supposed to clarify, yet they are very difficult to accurately define. Merry Christmas a little early :)