And yet. My DS just came back from a school social and basketball game very happy-- he had a lovely time, no parental supervision, found and enjoyed his friends, remembered to eat dinner, happy that his team won, feels good. That is: doing normal 12-year-old stuff. We had a heck of a strenuous journey to get here, but here we are, and things are looking pretty bright these days.
And you know, that is ALL I want for my son--to be happy and accepted. I am so disenchanted with his "gifted program" right now my impulse is to pull him out and tell them they are hideous (having received a really nasty email today, again, from a teacher who went on and on about how he is talking excessively in class, in a very unprofessional manner--knowing that he is on cancellation list with psychiatrist and we are taking him for eval).
But my son says that all of the ugly at his school is worth having friends who understand him and with whom he can use the words he uses and express the ideas he wants to express.
If there weren't this huge threat they might not allow him back next year (they haven't explicitly stated that, but if he doesn't get a C or better in each class, it's the policy), I would feel less stress. If my daughter weren't going there next year (with same core teachers), I'd also feel less stress. Thankfully, she is NOT 2E and does well with teachers, much more savvy.
Because I could not survive another year like this one. My eldest had his own issues (tics, ADHD, epilepsy--now I'm wondering if he is autistic), but he was very, very quick and stayed on top of academics, never any issues with his grades.
