Originally Posted by Cricket2
Dd has generally had a hard time socially in elementary. She had "friends" in the non-accelerated classes but she really felt like they were acquaintances more than friends and she put on whatever it was that it took to make them happy. She was rather dissatisfied with the relationships and felt very, very lonely, though.
...
I just wonder if she might have somehow fit with the average kids if we had thought that's who she was, though, and she hadn't had an older sister who was so obviously not average. That's an alternate universe, though wink !
I think that you can take credit for helping her be in good enough shape, emotionally, that she was willing to 'really work' at trying to be friends in the heterogeneous environment.
I don't think you can take credit for the way she doesn't fit with average kids. That's just par for the course with being on an alternative developmental path. Could you really have a deeply rich and satisfying emotional life in a room full of your-aged version of the kids in her heterogeneous classes? Gifted kids as young as preschool notice that something is up and can feel distressed by it.

Shrugs and more shrugs,
Grinity

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