Zen Scanner -That's a great link. I was definitely an underachiever. In elementary school, my grades were average at best but I was known as "the artist" until in Junior High when another kid started being "the artist" and I lost my identity- so I basically gave up.
Junior High and first year of high school I underachieved until I failed out for truancy. I transferred to another high school (I went to live with my mom in another city, parents were divorced and I had been living with dad) and although I still hung out with the "bad" kids, I started making straight As as my mom paid me for grades
I didn't tell anyone about my grades though. In Junior year of High School boyfriend was a jerk so I broke up with him and took the GED since I felt there was nothing left for me in high school.
I did fine in college except that I never felt like I figured out where my real talents were. My father always said being really really good at one particular thing was a trap, because once you have an identity as that person, no one will ever let you do anything else
Anyway, my son seems a lot like me, and I am learning a lot about myself in the process of trying to figure him out. After learning about giftedness I realize that in many ways I'm textbook. Now I understand why I did (do) so many things. It's a relief actually.
Mana, that is good advice -
