Hi Trinity,
I was thinking the other day about all I have read and learned on this board and others that are similar. So many people talk about the exact same frustrations, set backs, etc. I believe for some the issues our children face directly result from our own unidentified or undeveloped giftedness. I was identified as gifted at age 6. I never received any accommodations to develop my giftedness into a talent, though. I was completely mainstreamed and by the time I was 8 no one ever mentioned my higher intellectual abilities again. I was so confused!! What are you doing to accept your adult giftedness now and how do these gifts affect you and others in your life?
Sometimes the behavior of my dd and ds gets me frustrated and impatient. It helps to remember the apple doesn�t fall to far from the tree, and when I�m at my best (able to stay calm) I can remember what it was like to be a gifted child in mainstream society.
Why don�t you try Johns Hopkins distance learning program? They have testing centers all over the nation. You don�t have to actually go there for testing. We live near Denver and tested last summer. Our DS9 takes a distance learning math class. Affordability can be an issue however. Currently, the tuition for 9 months of instruction in one course is around $1600.
I have looked at Rocky Mountain as well. However, they don�t offer anything until 6th grade. We�ve got three more years to go before our oldest could be considered.
What our dd and ds need immediately is access to other children who are similar to them, in respect to emotional and mental development and common interests. They often complain they don�t have any �real� friends. Our dd7 continually strives to develop a friendship with a 10-year-old girl in our area. When the opportunity arises for the girls to play together they have a great time. The opportunity seldom arises though. I believe the other mother doesn�t necessarily like her daughter playing with another who is so much younger than she. The mother is considerably concerned with social status and how things �look� to others. My dd doesn�t understand the complexities of social status, nor does she care. She just wants a girl friend to play and socialize with.
We live in a rural area. No GT programs exist within our entire county. Consequently, our children aren�t the only GT kids who are underserved by the local schools. I am thinking of starting some type of �GT Club� in our area. We own in business in a nearby town and could run something out of there in the evenings. Has anyone done something similar to this? If so, I would love to hear about your success and failures.
I really don�t like the idea of arranging friendships among children. Friendships simply can�t be forced. However, I am concerned with the possibility of adolescent depression beginning to arise. Does anyone have an opinion on this, or other possible solutions for gifted children who haven�t formed any substancial or positive relationships outside of their immediate family?
J.
