Thanks Bostonian for the post but people don't want to hear about that here.... I keep talking about the limits of options for our kids and there seems to be a feeling that our gifted kids will somehow find a way.
I think it's more that the focus of people here tends not to be so much on material success, but more on keeping kids happy and learning, then supporting the ability to achieve academically later on. If a child matures into a thinker who is poised to make great discoveries, she's simply different from the many educated people out there who have difficulty finding jobs. It's not about finding a job for that person, but about expressing brilliance.
So, for example from the article, I think the highly educated person who wanted to work in the arts simply doesn't matter in a discussion about exceptionally gifted people. Nothing in the article suggested that she was on the path to being an exceptional artist. Who cares if she can't find a job, really? (I mean, it's good if she does, but it doesn't matter in making life choices for my family and children.)
Also, I really do think that as long as my kids turn out to be psychologically stable, high ability will let them excel to some extent in their chosen field, so I don't worry too much. If they turn out not to reach much of their high potential, as long as they're able to live well enough, I don't care much what they do. I just don't care much if they become wealthy; I do care to give them the best shot at reaching the limits of their potential based on their gifts.
