Thanks so much for the great discussion here, sorry I lost track of this thread.
happyreader, I have the same concerns, but actually the article that Bostonian posted really helped me think about how to possibly counteract that pressure to conform. I like the idea of thinking of creativity as making connections between unrelated things/ideas. And so, one way to support our kid's out-of-the box thinking is to make sure they get exposure to lots of different things. Which makes me feel a bit better because, due to his own intensity, I have done this with DS since he was very small. He loves to learn, so we do all kinds of things (and sometimes get frustrated when places put age limits on certain activities!) I guess the best I can do is offer him lots of diverse subjects and experiences and give him the freedom to make those connections when and where he wants to!
