Great analogy, Cola! I hope that first discussion went well; it sounds like you had a good conversation with your DS.
I realized by light of day I didn't even mention the gifted part, oops. As you did, I found it important to discuss DD's strengths, both as an important part of her, but also to acknowledge that she has a significant extra frustration in the classroom, from being able to understand and learn much faster than most, orally - yet not be able to keep up when reading and writing is involved. Her Ferrari has hay cart wheels, perhaps.
I think this aspect of the 2E combo has been the biggest source of anxiety for my kids: the work is both too easy to engage them and yet too hard for them to actually do. All at the same time. This is REALLY hard for some teachers to get. I've had a do a lot of fighting about "make-work": if the act of writing is that hard, it is unacceptable to require more of it than is actually needed to demonstrate mastery of the material. No gifty is going to like repetitive worksheets, but for some of these 2E kids, it's important to recognize that you're not simply trying to protect your "special snowflake" from boredom - you're actually trying to reduce an activity that can cause significant mental anguish. Needlessly.
Ah, my soapbox is still in full force this weekend, I see. Just trying to say, you really can't understand the impact of one E without looking at how they affect each other. Key concept for your DS - and even more so for his teachers! It sounds like you are off to a great start. Hugs and strength your way.
