Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Why do I feel guilty all the time?

"They don't understand the beauty and love involved in homeschooling a child who is gifted but has mild disabilities. They think I should put him in our small town school and deal with bullies and one size fits all education because it is good enough for their kids."

Thanks, Lori. That's a beautiful story about your parents and congratulations for having the courage to do the right thing for your son.

People don't understand, until they understand.

Good luck to your son, too. Major surgeries for young people are generally safer because they are in better overall health, I suppose. My mom had a genetic blood clotting condition that made her surgeries much more risky. Maybe his doctors could give him some more information or help involve him in the decision making processes to relieve his anxiety.

We do have the same mom! I also think of my mom in terms of being a little kid (my therapist said my mom probably mentally sort of is). I don't say this to her and wouldn't, of course.

I remember she said something particularly nasty about / to my step-dad and I later told her she should not say things like that and I carefully explained to her how the things she said to him could wound him. She got all quiet and asked me how I know these things. I generally tell her my therapist taught me (whether or not that happens to be true). I did go for a year after I married DH, because I wanted to learn how to not abuse my family like she did.

It is kind of sad that my mom acts this way.
She came over the other day and I told her that I feel like she is my teenage sister a lot or that I am the parent by the way she acts (and even the way my dad acts sometimes.) She actually took that in stride and didn't object. Then I said I know she is frustrated because she wants to be creative. That she feels like everything she does is meaningless and that she lashed out at us growing up because she felt depressed about it. And that she is afraid to do anything (like start a business doing something artistic) for fear of failing at it.

Her immediate response was "It is only worth doing something if it is PERFECT."

Ok, well, now I know where I got it from.