I certainly can not speak for everyone but I will say this. The 'denial, grief and sadness' is what I consider part of the process. And not everyone will go through it but those that do doesn't mean they are trying to change their child but coming to accept what they really have. Now for me I have a toddler and am very new to all of it. I certainly went through denial. I didn't see the first signs as signs and her first words ... will 'hi' at two weeks was just her stretching her vocal cords. Not considering the fact that 'hi' shouldn't even be a possibility at two weeks. Than her 'official' word of elephant before 3 mths was again denial of it can't be her first word because surely she doesn't comprehend what it means, overlooking that she had worked on it for days while focusing in on the elephant attached to her toy.

This could go on and on but as time went on I had to accept something was different than the search of what? So when I stumbled across the idea of gifted and really started reading up on it and what the experts were saying about children in school I had my grief b/c the world I assumed we would live in is probably not going to be. What parent wants to go to battle or knows there is a battle to be fought when their child is still a toddler? Parents with kids with disabilities is one and they have their grief process of their own. When it doesn't fit into our neat little ideas we have reactions and usually through steps.

And sadness...I don't know if I really am sad but concerned that she might not be accepted by her school mates and be an outsider. I don't know any parent that wishes that on their child. So yes denial, guilt, and sadness is there and if you are the type of person that never had those feelings than I think that is great. But I have no problem voicing that I do because it is part of getting past it all.

And I certainly would never wave a magic wand and change a thing about my daughter b/c it would mean I would be changing this creature who is unique and amazing. I am just coming to terms with what is a head of me.