This is a really good discussion. This is a huge issue where I live. My son started kindergarten last year and I'd say a 1/3 of the class could read to some degree. Well, clearly 1/3 of the class is not PG. And my son was barely reading. I really felt like a bit of a failure at the time! I didn't hot house my son at all. He was very much a "I'll do what I want to do" preschooler. It is interesting though, that my son now reads at a 5th-6th grade level, and these kids that were so ahead the first months of K are now perhaps reading more at the 2nd grade level (there are a couple that may be more gifted). It just doesn't pay to hot house a preschooler!

I did start my son in piano at 5. He was asking to start. He's still going and he is doing great. We never had early reader books in the house until he was in K (he was more interested in listening to chapter books). And he played with numbers for fun. We introduced him to mathematical concepts through him asking questions. Most recently it's square roots. My son went to a very non-academic, fun preschool. GT issues were the last thing on my mind for him. Actually, piano was the first glimpse I saw of GT in him. He cranked through repotoire twice as fast as other students with our teacher.

DD3 is actually much more interested in "academics" than my son was at 3. She actually tries to read, write, and do what DS is up to. And now she is asking to take violin lessons. I don't think I'm up for that quite yet. Maybe at 4. I feel like we're very child driven.

I feel a badly for kids who have academics shoved down their throats. They all learn it when they're ready. I want my kids to definitely be kids! Even if their not ND.

And Ania - I don't think you're a hothouser in the least!