I appreciate this thread. I'm more of a newbie than a lurker, and have felt a bit intimidated sometimes to post. So many of you have kids who seem more gifted than mine, and you're all so up on the various tests and educational options. I've been wondering whether I "fit" here.
I do have a question. Before you had your kids tested, did you question whether they were really gifted, or whether you were just an "overly proud" parent. Almost since birth, DS7 (who is our oldest) was obviously different to me, very different by 2, and now TO ME seems very different from the other kids, but his teachers and (to a point) DH don't seem to see it. They say he's bright, but not THAT bright. His reading, vocabulary, ability to understand concepts, and to a somewhat lesser extent math abilities seem to be much more advanced than his classmates. Sometimes I think a lot of the perception of other people is skewed because he's a very anxious child, has difficulty sitting still/waiting his turn to talk, and has difficulty with organization/ensuring that all his work is done. He's also eager to try to fit the way he thinks others want him to be. I've submitted an application for testing to JHU/CTY and am waiting to hear back for an appointment date (probably 3 months out). In the meantime, I find myself questioning our educational choices for DS7 every day, and then questioning whether I'm just delusional and he's not gifted at all.
Anyway, maybe this is all more a need for catharsis than advice. This fight is very lonely -- people seem to think I should just be happy that I have a smart kid, and stop worrying. Others think I push him too hard to be the "smart kid". Others think that he should be more disciplined, and therefore able to "grow out of" the wiggling/talking out of turn thing. I wish I had test scores today so that I could feel more sure of our choices for him.
Thanks for having a place I could vent. I know everyone's been on the waiting list for scores before. I just have to practice my patience!
