This board has been eating at me for a couple of days now. It does, however, make me thankful for where I live because it sounds like you all don't live in very nice places. My DD10 has had a mixed experience. She has only had one friend who unfortunately was the only other girl in her small class who was very jealous of her and would at times make her miserable, but I was actually thankful for the experience because my daughter had to learn to take pride in who she was and the gifts God gave her. She also had to learn to stand up for herself. But mostly, her friends are great. They are not "gifted" but intelligent and one likes to read the same books but she is a couple of years older. She also thankfully has a pretty strict parents so I don't have to worry about what kinds of things she is exposed to and talking about with my child. The other friend is a social butterfly but is a great friend. My daughter will talk about the nerdiest things and her friend is always cheerful and encouraging and tells her how great her accomplishments are even if the subject matter is not at all interesting to her. My daughter is just as supportive to her friend in her acting interests. However, when they get together, they are silly and creative and have lots of fun. A friend does not have to have the same interest as your child but just find kids who will allow your son to just be himself around them. That is how it seems like my DD10 relates to most kids around her and it works out great.
Is there an extracurricular activity that he enjoys that he is reasonably good at but wouldnt be the best? My daughter played softball and she was pretty good but not the best and it was very good for her. In many extracurriculars there is a larger age range than school so it also allows them to participate in something with kids interested in the same thing that are a little older.
My DD8, we are homeschooling because she couldnt really relate well to the kids in her class. They are quite a bit sillier than her but she has a strong independent personality. She had trouble with the girls on her gymnastics team because she was much more serious and competitive. Thankfully, she moved up in that a couple of extra levels and now is with girls that are more competitive and focused, with the homeschooling we are hoping she will be a bit better off She does a lot better around kids just a little bit older than her, but they dont have to be as smart.
