You put it so beautifully, Shellymos - this is very worthy of a topic, because it's something that we have to be silent about in front of friends who don't have gifted children.
I had something quite the opposite happen years ago, and your post triggered that memory. My oldest daughter had tested into the gifted program but after long thought and discussion decided against the more advanced track and chose instead to focus on art in high school. She took the AP English classes and ended up testing out of her first year of college math. I was talking with a mother whose son was in gifted classes with my middle child, and she said, "Oh, you must be so disappointed in your daughter that she didn't pick gifted classes."
I remember being confused by the comment, because I couldn't figure out why I would be disappointed with a daughter who chose art since that was where her passion was. She dropped a statistics class her senior year to volunteer in the profoundly disabled classroom. Now that? I was really proud of her for that.
I am proud of my middle son for having the courage to approach a professor to land a mentorship at the University in his field of interest while he is still in high school. And I am proud of my youngest for pushing so far past his own abilities to overcome dysgraphia.
But I am neither disappointed or proud of my kids because of their IQ. I am proud of them for the things they choose to do to become worthwhile, contributing human beings.
