My son who is 2E said he didn't want to be a child starting at seven. He didn't fit in with kids his age. We asked the developmental pediatrician and educational psychologist if it was okay for him to have all older friends--three and four years older. They told us that his mental age was closer to his friends' age so it was fine.
He didn't fit in physically because of hidden disabilities. He didn't fit in mentally because he was gifted. He had nothing in common at all with kids his age.
Because of the vocabulary he used and the things he talked about, adults always guessed that he was a smart kid about two years older than his actual age. Recently, his aunt was surprised to find out that he was two years younger than she thought.
He has no friends to hang out with now. His older friends have jobs and cars and he is too young for that. The only friends he talks to regularly are online and most of them are in college. They don't know that he is only 14.
He doesn't talk like most kids his age where we live. On the way to look at fireworks on the 4th of July he noticed old abandoned businesses and commented on the "juxtaposition" of those and the big city buildings in the background which turned into talking about the economy and politics and then he asked if I had a chance to read about the "God particle" that he wanted me to read so I could talk to him about the latest science news. He found a receipt which showed the last four digits of a credit card number and talked about permutations. He uses the internet on his iPhone to look up everything he wonders about--even math. He uses Wolfram Alpha. He seems to learn a lot that way.
We saw a lot of the attractive young professionals who live in my daughter's apartment complex enjoying themselves at a pool party. I am sure it looks like being an adult is really fun.
Driving around, stopping at coffee shops, watching people and wondering about everything he sees--that is what he thinks is fun. We have to go back to the reality of a small town, nothing to look at but cows when we drive anywhere and internet that is too slow to even play the multiplayer online games that he likes.
My son always had freedom to learn what he wanted because we pretty much unschooled except for math and he took one language arts class last year. He was able to take a two month break in the middle of the school year to deal with the pain of getting used to a more aggressive brace without making up work because he learns so much on his own all year. I try to keep up with what he is reading so I can at least discuss some of it but I am not that good at it. At least I try. I don't think he will really appreciate what he had as a child until he is an adult. I know he has had to deal with a lot of physical pain but his dad and I were right there with him trying to help in whatever way we could. When he is finished growing he will not have to wear the brace that he has had to wear since he was 11. I am hoping he will try some of the kid things he didn't get to do but he probably won't.
