As I read through these posts one thought hits me.
If a child is gifted in sports we think it's just fine and dandy that we build arenas for them to perform in front of cheering fans and if little Johnny breaks the school record it gets blasted over the PA and shouted from the rooftops... yet when little johnny is discovered a genius, somehow he's "Different" in a hushed tone and it becomes not nice to announce to the world.
Maybe that's the reason that we have such a hard time finding funding to get these kids what they deserve.
I am in COMPLETE agreement... I'm proud of my GT kid, and I have no problems talking about him with anyone else. And yeah, there are naysayers, but if he was a 6yr old Olympic champion, there would be naysayers then too.
Well, there's a middle ground here, and that's what I'm trying to hit with our kids.
I agree with Grinity that being smart is no more reason for cheering fans than having blue eyes is. Smart is just how you came from the baby-factory. You didn't earn it. You've done nothing to merit applause by being +3Sds (or whatever) any more than a kid who is -3SDs deserves booing.
BUT!
Having come from a family who always seemed a little embarrassed by being smart, I don't think that is acceptable either. There are other families who practice GT denial, trying desperately to cling to "normal" in a kid who is clearly outside the norm. That's a similar problem. Shame and denial of who a child is just aren't okay.
Thus the matter-of-fact tone I try to take with my boys. "Yes, kids, you are really smart. So what? What are you going to do with what you were fortunate enough to get naturally?" I expect them to challenge themselves and do the best they can do (within reason, so as to try to avoid unhealthy perfectionism), and that's what I applaud them for. I applaud when they try something that's hard for them and persevere to the end. I applaud when they use what they've got. I applaud when they solve problems and behave helpfully and act with kindness toward others because these are *choices* that they make, these are things they can *control*.
Just being smart? That's not up to them, so why applaud it?
