School, definitely, has been the hardest for us. No contest.
Parenting has probably been easier for me with my DYS kid, actually, because he's so logical and follows directions so well. Not every HG+ child is. But mine is easy-peasy to raise.
He's also a social kid and has enough "regular" interests (right now, Bakugon, Pokemon and Transformers) that he can fit in with age peers with ease. So social stuff isn't hard.
But school is hard! We chose to homeschool rather than to fight our rigid school system for the scraps of semi-appropriate education they might allow him to have.
So right now, DYS's help with school is insurance for us for later, when DS7 will presumably go to some sort of more traditional school--probably a private GT school--for junior high and/or high school. We might ask for some help with tuition from the DYS program, too, if that's the route we go. We'll see.
But so far, the connections with other parents of HG+ kids and the get-togethers have been by far the greatest benefits of the DYS program for us. I have made some really good friends IRL through the program, and DS7 LOVES to get together with friends from DYS every chance he gets.
It's a really good program!
Is there anything I couldn't live without from DYS? No, probably not. But there are things I'm glad I don't have to live without!
