I wholeheartedly aggree with these assessments. People often feel compelled to say that most gifted kids have major issues and seem to comfort themselves with that idea. Many people say how unusual it is that my DD5 seems "so normal." She is also a pretty little girl and I am sure that also flies in the face of some people's stereotypes. I find that I unconsciously and sometimes consciously try to emphasize weaknesses (like in some sports) or challenges we have had. It makes me feel less likely to be publically stoned (ha ha). When I was younger, I was in a gifted program, a talented gymnast, and modeled, and actually met with some serious hostility from other girls. I don't think they were threatened by the smarts as much as other things. My DD5 did
dumb down in pre-k and hid skills, this was in part due to a terrible fit with an ignorant teacher (we pulled her out) but seems to be doing better in K even though the gap in her reading group is wide. The lowest kid is at Cat in the Hat (that my DD read at 2) and my DD can read near adult level text. I felt myself tensing up as I wrote this and telling myself not to brag, but then remembered I am here, and I can breathe a little easier. I actually take comfort when I read about children on here who are more advanced than my DD5!
