I have noticed that talking about the long term can make him anxious. He had tears in his eyes the other night and said to me that he didn't see the point of life if he has to work hard at elementary school, then keep going to school and work hard, and then spend his life working hard at a job. I tried to tell him that the further he goes in school, the more he can choose his subjects, and that hopefully he can find a job that he likes enough that it doesn't feel like "work".
My heart goes out to you Verona, I have had this exact conversation with my DD. I don't know the answer, but I know it is both alarming and heartbreaking to hear this from your child.
My DDs situation got worse over time and she eventually became quite depressed. She is coming out of the depression now (thank God!) and looking back, I believe a lot of it had to do with the hopelessness she felt due to a very bad educational fit and no real intellectual peers. Trying to see it through her eyes, when everyone is telling you that you have to work hard to become good at doing what you consider mindless/pointless busywork, in order to prepare for a lifetime of doing it in the professional world, it all does seem a little pointless, especially if the "rewards" are not anything that you actually value.
I have to say that academic summer camp for gifted students was a lifeline for us: one week a year with true intellectual peers and engaged teachers who were thrilled to teach enthusiastic learners with no tests or grades, just pure blissful learning...at least this allowed my DD to realize that maybe there is something better out there somewhere and to give her hope for a better future than the one that comes to mind every time a grown up explains why doing busy work now is so important.
My hope is that the new and far more appropriate educational setting along with access to true peers will be a complete solution for my DD, but we decided to get her tested just in case. We are in the middle of Psycho educational testing (a bit late in the game) just to see if there is something that is causing the busywork to be more difficult and treacherous for my DD than the average child (other than her ability/tendeny to look at the status quo and question it- lol).
