I can't speak as to other posters' opinions, but I am not at this forum because I believe gifted children are unique. I think it is important to understand that this is a public forum with many intelligent posters who logically think through their life choices. Many of us may hold demanding professional jobs and dedicate many hours to our children and may also donate to charity and otherwise volunteer our time/services. It is perfectly reasonable to pick and choose our beneficiaries according to our personal scales of priority/efficiency/etc. For example, any assistance to one charity over another can be re-framed as a shocking unwillingness to help the other charity.
Honestly, I am quite shocked at the unwillingness of parents to help other parents. Particularly regarding the assumed stereotypes. We are all at this forum because we believe that gifted children are unique. I asked this (somewhat hypothetical) question for 2 reasons. The first is that it really surprises me this type of mentoring is already not an option. The second reason is that I hope a seed can be planted should you meet other parents who may be in this situation or should you be involved in a group or advocacy which could embrace this idea.
My 13yr daughter is very bright, though not gifted. She also has hearing loss. Our school district has a completely voluntary program for hearing loss families. This program is entirely ran by parents. The only role of the school is they have a list of parents who have volunteered to mentor other parents. The school simply notifies new parents that the mentoring program exists & should they wish to receive this assistance, the school can provide contact info. This is the program I am familiar with but I have heard of other similar programs. It is very informal but it was invaluable when I had questions or needed advice. It gives us the ability to ask a parent of a child a few years older than her what we should expect. It provides us with parents who understand our concerns. It provides our children with an opportunity to relate to children who have "been there, done that".
You were correct that I left the framework open ended. I see the possibilities here as endless. If you honestly fear for your life meeting someone perhaps you could use email, Skype, or FaceTime. It is disappointing to see people who would view this as a waste of their time. In my experience the mentor program has been just as rewarding to the mentor family.
Again, others may disagree, but in my nearly two decades of personal experience, parenting/advocating for a child with disabilities is different than for a 2E child and for a Gifted child. I also firmly believe that many of the regular posters on this forum already graciously answer questions and offer assistance when they are approached by other parents regarding 2E or gifted issues.
There is also the efficiency factor. For example, last year I shared our approach with our disability advocate so she could help her other clients who were initially denied the disability services that I secured for my DS. In that case, it would have been impractical (a waste of time) for me to attempt to mentor those parents individually. The disability advocate immediately understood the nuances of my approach, was far more adept at simplifying the strategy to the unsophisticated parents, and had the established relationship to "push" them as appropriate.
