My initial point was that having to self-censure to avoid making someone else feel bad or to avoid an uncomfortable situation makes me feel isolated at times.
Part of what I'm questioning is if this is really a unique problem to the gifted world. Most of us wouldn't flash the big raise when a friend just got laid off. Or, brag on about how we are in the best shape of our lives when a stranger just got diagnosed with diabetes. Part of having social manners is learning to alter what you say based on the audience. I suspect that is something all parents do at some point.
I could not talk about this with my best friend from college because she was struggling with whether to hold her son back a year. I recognized that it would insensitive to discuss the pros and cons of starting DD early when my friend was facing the opposite issue.
That is a particularly tough situation, but I would say that as time goes on I would hope you find that you can open up to some friends. Most of my close friends IRL are not facing similar situations but we are still there for each other. Friends who have known you for a long time may get it more than you think they do even if it is not at all the problem they are facing.
