You are the one referring to your child as "freaky". The friend's mom was praising you and your son. Since intelligence is highly heritable and is highly valuable to society, having gifted children is something to be proud of.
The "freak show" comment was tongue-in-cheek, derived from the comment my spouse made.
There are many things about my son that make me proud. Am I proud of him for trying new things when it would be easy not to? Absolutely. Am I proud that he has learned how to channel his empathy in a way that allows him to make friends of all ages really easily? You bet! But getting accepted to a gifted private school? I don't see that as an accomplishment to be proud of. Grateful to have the opportunity? Of course. Proud? No.
