I agree with Dazey. I think there's a delicate balance between obsessing unnecessarily and doing nothing when something is necessary. If I had left DS7 in the classroom he was in last year, his spark would have died. I don't just think that, I *know* it. I'm 100% certain of it. He was miserable and acting out in utterly uncharacteristic ways, and it was a very, very bad situation for his sense of self and his behavior. Immediate action was required. Frankly, I count myself lucky that the situation was so clear-cut. I don't second-guess myself much about it. Others in more borderline situations have a much tougher row to hoe as they try to figure out what to do. I feel for them.
I've come to the conclusion that my kid is going to be okay no matter what.
This may be true of your child, RPM9, but I KNOW it's not true for all GT kids in all situations, and the sentiment is a bit troubling to me. It sure wasn't true of my child last year, and to my taste, it's too close to the "GT kids are going to succeed no matter what" line that schools often buy into, wrongly. GT kids have frighteningly high dropout and suicide rates. Underachievement and social isolation are common. Big problems are lurking out there for far too many GT kids, I'm afraid.
That means that sometimes the parents of GT kids really *do* have to "DO something NOW." Or else.
GT kids are still kids. And all kids--GT or not--can get into situations that are bad for them, sometimes through no fault of their own. That's why they have parents to help them. Every kid is different and not every kid needs immediate intervention, but I think it's important not to treat those of us who saw problems and intervened as "helicopter parents." It seems to me that we get enough of those unfair stereotypes from outside the GT community!
I'm sure that wasn't your intention, RPM9, but I worry about anything that seems to discourage people from taking problems seriously. Sometimes problems *are* serious. Talent and ability are nice, but they don't guarantee a sane, well-balanced, fulfilling and/or productive life. To get to those, nurture and meeting a child's needs are necessary.
