I posted on another topic about this. I skipped one grade in elementary school and when puberty hits, there is a difference. Those older kids may not have the same interest and dating early is not necessarily a very good idea.
In high school, where I advanced another year, I was a cheerleader and way too young to be partying with the football team. Drinking (drinking age was 18 then). Luckily my mother didn't let me date until I was 16 (yes, time for college then) but I think it would have been a disaster.
I think there is just so much going on when puberty hits. But I was lucky that I had a core group of friends that also skipped.
I attended a talk by this psychologist at Harvard who talked about that people are not letting their kids stay children very long these days. They start getting manicures at 4 and where clothing that isn't appropriate way too early. Hence, why all this "friends with benefits" in middle school. And although, your daughter may think she has more in common with kids 2 years older, she is still 2 years younger than those kids. As they hang with boys, why would they want a little kid around? How far would she go to fit in?
I know you said she is 8. But she is 8 today. Gifted kids can be socially precocious and it is cute. My 5 year old daughter hangs with the young couple next door and they think she is cute and interact with her but they are a young couple indulging a little girl who is precocious and fun. But it is just indulging. And I want her to be a kid for as long as she can. We are going to Europe next week and I found another family with a 5 year old girl to tour with. Because as much as I want DD to have a taste of Europe, her first time there, I want her to have fun and play on her vacation from school.
Ren
