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Sometimes I wonder if people think I'm just bragging about how smart my kids are. I don't think most people understand how difficult it can be to keep them happy and growing. And they don't realize that when my kids are not consistently challenged, they act up, getting wild and obnoxious and into trouble. I realized this when J would drive Z nuts in the car, poking and hitting him, or singing nonsense at the top of his lungs. I found I could get him to stop by giving him a math problem.

I bet most people think that my job is a breeze. I mean, good grades and college are guaranteed, right?

This morning, I read a good article about gifted kids:

Finding the Gift in Giftedness by Jennifer ?

This quote from the article really struck me:

"Think of it this way: if you put IQ scores on a Bell curve, the gifted child would be as far to the right as the mentally disabled child is to the left. They are, in their own unique way, “special needs” kids – which creates a big problem when the educational system teaches to the middle or to the lowest common denominator."

Yay! Finally, someone understands and has explained the challenge I face! That's why I sometimes get overwhelmed trying to figure out what my kids need!

That quote also led my thoughts to the other end of that Bell curve. No one would dream of sticking a traditional "special needs" kid in a regular kindergarten class and tell the teacher and parents, "Your kid will be fine. He'll adapt. Let's give it two or three years, then we'll see if your kid needs any special classes." It wouldn't be fair to the teacher, because he would need so much extra attention and create extra work. And DUH, the teacher and parents already know that the child needs special classes.

But that is the system. That's what we have to work with. The decisions we have to make sometimes feel very heavy.