I've heard the argument that his IQ will keep him from a "normal" childhood. Define normal. It's different for everyone. As long as he's happy and healthy, he's better off than many children in this world. As a foster parent, I know of what I speak. He has something that many children don't. He has parents that care, that are willing to do what it takes to keep him healthy and happy. That's why i'm on this board. That's why we're all on this board, because we are all dedicated to ensuring the best possible life for our children. What's sad about that?
I think part of a normal childhood is feeling like you really belong in the community you live in and not feeling like you are being shunned because you are different from the average kid. A normal childhood would include the option to go to the public school without worrying about the bullies who would target you for being a smart kid. Another part of a normal childhood would include feeling like you could be yourself, without having to watch the vocabulary you use because you can't even be sure the adults know the meaning of some of the words you use. A normal childhood would include being able to talk to other people about what you are interested in instead of having to constantly listen to people talk about sports and when you tell them you don't do sports, just musical theatre and piano and an occasional spelling bee and they just look at you and say "Oh" almost as if there is something wrong with the things you like. Part of a normal childhood would be having neighborhood kids to play with and a mom who doesn't worry so much all the time about the future.
Yes, my son has parents who care, but what if something happens to us? He does not have the right in our state to an appropriate education in our public school because he is twice exceptional.
I am not sad that he is gifted because it's part of what makes him such a wonderful kid and why he seems so mature for his age in some ways and why my son and daughter are closer than most siblings in spite of an 18 year age difference. Unlike my daughter at this age, he is not embarrassed by his parents and seems to really enjoy being around us and talking to us. He likes doing things as a family more than my daughter did. He is better than I am at looking at things from different perspectives and focusing on the positive in things and pointing them out to me when I have trouble seeing them. He is gifted at making up jokes to cheer me up and his grandfather and everyone else that he is around.
I am not sad about the kind of kid I have at all because this is an example of the kind of kid I have. My husband, my son and I went to turn in his car to be checked and weighed for the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. It would be his last Pinewood Derby since he is in Webelos II. He has always told us this was his favorite thing to do in Cub Scouts. When we went to turn in the car we were told that they had made a few changes this year that we didn't know about because we had missed several meetings because he had to be in rehearsals on those nights. He couldn't really afford to miss any rehearsals because he has a slight motor learning disability that makes it a little harder for him to learn the dances. So the car they made was disqualified. My husband and son were both disappointed because they had spent a lot of time on the car and they used plans that were purchased from the scout store. But one of the scout leaders had an extra old car that he said my son could use. It didn't look nearly as nice as the one they had made but my son accepted it and thanked him.
When we left, my husband told our son he was really sorry about the car, especially since this would be his last chance to race. My son told his dad that it was okay because he really enjoyed people watching and hanging out with his friends more than racing. He didn't want his dad to feel bad.
The next day at the Pinewood Derby he was really surprised when his borrowed car won first place for Webelos II and he got second for craftsmanship (they did let him use his own car for that). My son felt funny about accepting the first place trophy but the leaders told them that they were glad to give it to him because of the way he acted the night before when he was told his car was disqualified. They told us a father and son came in after us who had also missed some meetings, didn't know about the changes, and their car was also disqualified. The dad threw a fit, yelled at the scout leaders in front of all the kids and pulled his son out of scouts.
