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I guess this is what I meant by "sensationalize". If the parents had a chance to proof something before it went to print, the facts may be stated differently. Sometimes it might be easy for someone without any knowledge of the GT world to jump to conclusions. As someone not knowing anything about GT not incredibly long ago, it is easy to jump to conclusions! For every one of these kids you do see, there are a lot more under the radar. These kids are unique and rare, but probably not as rare as portrayed by the media.

I just think it's a shame this school couldn't get their story straight before Colin and his mother were ready to move. Not every college set up is going to work well for a 12 year old, but you would hope they would have a policy in place for young students.

Wow. Well, besides the fact that the school won't let him have a dorm affiliation, which is a separate issue ....

I cannot *believe* some of the comments. I think this is the main problem with having someone like Bill Gates spearhead a campaign for gifted children: Public sentiment says, "Why do these kids need special treatment? Let them be kids!"

The prevailing thoughts seem to be that the mom is pushing him, the kid couldn't possibly want to do it himself, etc. Of course, I think most of us acknowledge that you couldn't really *keep* most PG kids from learning if the opportunity is presented. Unfortunately, most people don't *know* any PG kids, and certainly aren't intimately acquainted with them. And if you have no exposure to a PG kid, sure, it could look like the mother is "pushing" him.

The other thing is that people seem to be thinking that the kid is missing out on a "normal" childhood. Erm ... is it just me, or does it seem fairly unlikely that this kid would have a "normal" childhood anyway, even if he was at traditional high school? Would going to high school put him in his "peer group"? Doubtful. They may be his age peers, but I highly doubt he'd come across more than one or two people he truly connected with.

It seems that most people either think she's a pushy mom, or that the kid is missing out on integral parts of growing up. What they don't seem to get is that a PG kid has needs that are a little more, well, pressing than going to the prom. Is going to prom fun? Sure. Is it worth sitting through pointless high school classes for four years, wasting away, without a real peer group? Doubtful.

However, this is the comment that bugs me the most:


*Really*? Wow. There's just so much wrong with this attitude, I don't even know what to say. First of all, where are all these gifted schools, and groups of gifted kids? I think if such programs were readily available at a payable cost, parents of gifted kids would be *jumping* on them. I sure am. Sounds like this lady has first-hand experience with a pusher parent who's using their kid as a status symbol rather than a concerned parent looking for the best fit for their kid.

Unbelievable.

Well said, Mia. Myself, I did attend high school and chose not to attend prom. If I can recall correctly, I think I would have preferred to rub ground glass in my eyes!
Looking back.......I still don't regret it.

I never attended a high school reunion, I've had no interest. And I don't have fond memories of my high school years like a lot of people. I was in a very poor academic fit and it was not a good experience.

I went to 5 proms (First and 3rd with an older boyfriend, second one with a friend, and then to two during my senior year because I dated someone at a different school), and I had fun at all but the one with the friend...so I'd say prom is marginally better than ground glass in the eyes, but nothing to worry about missing either. CERTAINLY not something a person can't live without! CERTAINLY!!!

And great comment, Mia. Right on the mark! Every parent of every GT child I know is looking for peers. Every one! Comments like that person with the so-called "firsthand experience" (Bah!) are just shameful, I think.

I went to prom twice. I was even elected prom queen. Was it worth spending four years fighting with the administration (which routinely dealt with gifted students) to allow me to work to my ability (which didn't work anyway)? Not at all. And my parents were not pushing me, as some of the people commenting on the article about Colin suggested. Well said, Mia!

The proms were fun. I was the only male sophomore one year - it was with the Latin Club/Math Club president. It certainly got me out of my geeky world. I went to the 10 yr HS reunion for the class two years ahead of mine and it was fun catching up.

Will a GT kid see thing they should not - probably. I went skinny dipping when I hung out with HS kids when I was 13. That was innocent fun. Drugs are still common today as they were then - I just ignored them. Should I have been driving late at night when I was 13? Maybe not. I never drank and in any case, they never offered me a beer, making sure I got a soda!

The biggest admonishment I got from my older relatives was to pick my friends carefully and to leave if I was uncomfortable. I took this to heart.

My mental peers usually treated me well.

The biggest danger I ever faced was an adult pedophile in the 5th grade. That was dealt with pretty well.