AnnaC, I feel for you when it comes to the lack of support from your family. My own mother does not understand my DDs at all, especially DD4 who is smarter than even I realize sometimes.
It's hard when family does not support you. My MIL is starting to come around, but we can't talk about the GT issue with her much. She has different views on education and even held DH back when teachers wanted him to skip a grade in elementary school. We understand DD4 will most likely need to be accelerated through school at some point and I know MIL will not agree with this.
I cannot talk about GT issues with anyone in my family or DH's family -- it's very taboo. We do have one pair of friends with a GT daughter very similar to DD4 that we can kind of talk to, but they don't quite understand what being GT means and the challenges it creates.
I've learned to follow my DC's leads in regards to learning. If your DC has a strong personality, he'll forge his own path no matter what.
Sounds like you're doing a good job. This is a great place to get advice and just let out frustration.
(Ironically, my dad was in the military, too. His IQ tested really high and he was sent to work in Intelligence -- NSA kind of stuff that he can't talk about.)
